


what falling in love feels like

by spiritedaways



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26014141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritedaways/pseuds/spiritedaways
Summary: doyoung and jaehyun were rivals. their fathers were opponents in the wizarding world, so it only made sense for their sons to follow in their footsteps. but deep down, what if that wasn't what either of them wanted?
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 2
Kudos: 88
Collections: jaedo digest: vol. 2





	what falling in love feels like

**Author's Note:**

> tw// descriptions of violence and what could be considered abuse is depicted later down in the story, heed w caution. please stay safe everyone  
> \- also, the characters are all aged up, meaning they're at least 21 in this work :D  
> \- lapslock used since this was all written through googledoc's on my phone eep

doyoung kept his eyes trained on gryffindor’s quidditch captain, sketching the small details of him in his sketchbook. 

_it isn’t like i do this every time they practice._

_you’re lying to yourself._

doyoung scoffed under his breath as his own self conscious pointed out his stupidity. stupid jung jaehyun and his perfect grades and his perfect looks and his perfect stature. 

everything about him was completely and utterly perfect. and not doyoung’s own. 

“psst.” doyoung frowned. the noise didn’t happen again, so he went back to peeking at jaehyun from the stands. “ _psst_. hey, jackass!” the voice called out. 

“ _taeyong._ ” doyoung groaned. “what the hell are you doing here?” he swiftly shut his sketchbook, eyeing the smaller hufflepuff. 

“me?” taeyong moved from his hiding place, finally into doyoung’s view. his hair was getting long, doyoung ruffled his fingers in between the stiff, blond strands. “you’re the one who stalks jaehyun every day.” 

“do not.” 

“do too.” 

doyoung sighed, having no energy to put up with taeyong’s antics. “maybe you’re right.” the trees were ruffling in the wind, causing doyoung to pull his cloak tighter around himself. 

“i didn’t mean it like that.” taeyong sat down next to him, his legs on either side on the stand. “come on, you know i didn’t mean it like that.” 

“but it’s true.” doyoung faced him. “i mean, i don’t _stalk_ , per-se.” he turned back to the field, jaehyun’s loud laugh booming through his chest. “i just keep a watchful eye.” 

“because of your father?” dakho. taeyong’s wide eyes reached his own. his lips were chapped and doyoung noted to purchase taeyong some chapstick when next he went to hogsmeade. 

“right.” doyoung looked down to the sketchbook in his hands. “because of my father.” it was partially true. one because doyoung’s father did insist he keep an eye on the _jung boy_. and two, doyoung was completely in love with said jung boy. 

“you don’t have to listen to him, you know? you’re an adult now. you can go somewhere far away, away from here.” taeyong scooted closer. “it doesn’t have to be like this.” 

doyoung sniffled. if he started to cry, he’d just blame the heavy winds. “it _does_. it does, yong, and i hate that i’m a coward and horrible person because i can't stop myself from pretending to hate him.” 

taeyong didn’t respond, instead he snuggled closer to doyoung in attempt to provide him some sort of comfort. 

“don’t speak so lowly of yourself, doyoung. you’re more than the ill words your father speaks of you.” 

“i wish i was a gryffindor.” 

“what?” taeyong reeled back. 

“well,” doyoung pulled taeyong back into him, mainly for the warmth. “not a gryffindor. maybe _like_ a gryffindor. they’re brave. maybe if i was brave, i’d have the strength to tell my father off.”

“you are brave. you got that frog out of the slytherin common room in fifth year.” taeyong joked. 

doyoung smiled at the memory. they didn't know how or where the frog appeared from, but the whole common room was screaming. taeyong was visiting from the hufflepuff dorms and insisted that the frog stay alive. doyoung wouldn’t have killed it, even if taeyong wasn’t there. 

he was just crowned as a prefect, so he took it upon himself to delve the situation. doyoung didn’t tell anyone, but he named the frog valentine. totally not in association with jaehyun. 

“yeah, maybe you’re right.” doyoung let his heart release some tension. 

“i know i am.” taeyong’s nose pressed against his cheek, swollen and red due to the cold weather. “i’m always right.” 

doyoung watched jaehyun for a couple of more minutes, fingers itching to sketch the captain’s harsh glare that was thrown at his teammate.

“let’s go back inside.” taeyong whispered. 

tears were staining his face, for reasons that would never be known to the world. only he would hold the burden on his shoulder. after all, it’s what his father would say he deserved. maybe his father was right too. maybe he did deserve whatever bad came his way. just maybe.

🐍🦁

jaehyun knew the slytherin was watching him. of course he knew, doyoung wasn’t exactly subtle even if his dark green robes mixed in with the stands. 

_it’s because you’re in love with him. your soul goes where he goes._

jaehyun shook his head, reeling his thoughts to go away. he was many things: captain of the quidditch team, straight-a student, player, perfect. however, he was not in love with kim doyoung. 

a slytherin at that? the worst of the worst. jaehyun snorted. 

from the side of his eye, he saw the hideous yellow robes appear. johnny noticed his posture go rigid.

“hey, man.” johnny said from the side. “don’t let it bother you.” 

“i’m not. i just don’t want them here. i don’t want _him_ here.” 

“he’ll leave soon, jae.” johnny thought _him_ was doyoung. “c’mon, we have a game to win this friday.” 

jaehyun didn’t correct johnny. he never wanted doyoung to go. no matter how many times he referred to him as a snob or a cold-hearted snake, how many times he assisted in tarnishing doyoung’s legacy, his heart yearned to call him different names. names laced with love and hardship rather than hatred and anguish. 

he doesn’t know why seeing doyoung and taeyong so close was bothersome. it wasn’t like he hated hufflepuffs. 

his stomach twisted when he saw taeyong’s nose press to doyoung’s cheek. there was no way he had feelings for a slytherin. that slytherin being doyoung for that matter. absolutely no way. 

🐍🦁

jaehyun’s hair was always disheveled when he entered class. _always_. 

doyoung tried to not let it bother him, but it still ensued a pang in his chest each time he saw it. 

“late again, mr. jung?” professor kim asked, his face to the board, jotting down the new material of potions they’d be going over. 

“sorry, professor. i was just catching up with an old friend.” 

“for twenty minutes? couldn’t save it until after class?” 

“i apologize, professor, but this couldn’t wait. it won’t happen again, though.” 

the whole class knew he was lying, even professor kim who just hummed in reply. 

“make it the last, mr. jung.” 

jaehyun laughed and sat down next to johnny, his right hand man. the elder and him shared a unique handshake which brought a small smile to doyoung’s face. 

it seemed as though he was staring too hard, when jaehyun turned to face him. doyoung’s eyes widened, the glare in jaehyun’s eyes struck fear in his heart. 

with red cheeks and a feeling of shame spread throughout his body, he glanced down at his notebook. it was riddled with small drawings and doodles more than actual notes. 

_weak slytherin_. his father’s voice spoke in his head. he shook them away and attempted to focus on professor kim’s lesson. 

despite being prefect and trying his best wherever he went, doyoung was widely unliked around hogwarts. 

maybe it was because of his father, and his harsh views on half-bloods and people with muggle parents. or maybe it was his father’s feud with jaehyun’s father. or maybe it was just the words spewed about him from the mouths of others around the school, _stuck up, snob, rude, mean, liar, cheat_. 

for whatever reason it was, doyoung knew he wasn’t a fan favorite among the students of hogwarts. he viewed it as a good thing. 

_don’t let anyone in. whoever comes into my life gets hurt. i can’t let that happen._

doyoung shuffled his robes closed to his body. the classroom was cold and he didn’t have the body heat of a partner, since everyone had a friend in this class, save him. 

his bangs fell into his eyes and he blew a breath to keep it away. 

he thought of cutting his hair, but it was a sort of safety net. if he didn’t want to look at someone, his bangs would cover his eyes. 

he did wish, however, that it could cover the scar by his lip. it was small, almost invisible. he tried all the spells he learned to make it go away, but nothing worked. 

taeyong told him it was pretty, made him more mysterious. dakho said it ruined his face. 

he believed his father. 

“—young? doyoung?” 

“w-what?” he stuttered. his face turned red when he noticed the whole class staring at him. “y-yes, professor?” 

“did you hear the project or were you too busy daydreaming?” 

snickers from his classmates sounded throughout the classroom. 

“s-sorry, professor.” doyoung cleared his throat. “won’t happen again.” he muttered the last part and his eyes were once again trained on his notebook. 

“as i was saying,” professor kim continues. “the project will be the majority of your final grade. you will be tasked on making your own version of amortentia. does anyone know what amortentia is? no? how about you, mr. kim? seems as though you’d ought to be thinking of something in that head of yours.” 

doyoung looked back up once more. he actually did know what amortentia was, he wasn’t _stupid_ even if they thought he was. he didn’t just get the title of prefect because of bad grades. 

“um,” doyoung coughed. “it’s a love potion, professor. amortentia, if developed properly, smells different to each person according to who they’re attracted to. it’s the most powerful love potion known to wizard’s and is not to be consumed. if it is, the consumer will experience heavy infatuation and obsession with the targeted person…” doyoung trailed off when his eyes met jaehyun’s. this time he didn’t look angry, instead his gaze held adoration. 

it had to be a trick of the light and doyoung turned away to meet professor kim’s eyes. 

“that is correct, mr. kim. ten points to slytherin.” 

luckily, no one complained about the added points which caused doyoung to let out a small sigh of relief, the tension visibly leaving his shoulders.

“as mr. kim explained, amortentia is very powerful and must be done _correctly_. so, as your project this year, you and a partner will be tasked with making your own amortentia potion.” 

the class began to whoop and cheer, some already making eye contact with their friends signifying they’d be working together. 

“tsk, tsk,” professor kim calmed down the rowdy bunch. “don’t get too excited, as i will be assigning your partners.” 

groans could be heard from around the classroom, doyoung having no problem as he really didn’t have anyone to work with. and besides, amortentia couldn’t be that hard, right? he’d just have taeyong help him with it if he struggled. 

“i will list off your names. johnny and juyeon… sangyeon and haechan...irene and seulgi…” 

doyoung put his chin in his palm, daydreaming once again, as people would call it. the list continued on, every person being assigned. some cheers of excitement were heard and some sounds of disapproval too. 

he sketched out a snitch in his notebook until he heard his name called. 

“doyoung and jaehyun.” 

doyoung was frozen in his spot. no, _no_. this couldn’t happen, he couldn’t be paired with jaehyun of all people. jaehyun couldn’t stand him, they’d fail the project. 

professor kim placed his clipboard down. “if you and your partner have any trouble with the potion, you’re welcome to come to me with any questions. and before any of you ask, no, i will not reassign your partner. remember, you are always free to submit the project earlier than you want. that’s all i have for you today. class dismissed.” his tone was stern and doyoung whined in distress. 

chairs scrapped the floor and the students were leaving the classroom. doyoung was ready to bolt, shoving his classwork and pencils into his messenger bag. 

it seemed as though he was too slow, when a shadow loomed over his wooden desk. 

the light around jaehyun’s head reminded him of a halo, _angels_ the muggles would call it. 

“hi.” doyoung spoke first. the classroom was empty by now. even professor kim left, probably to eat lunch. jaehyun slumped down in the chair that was usually empty. seeing someone seated there, especially jaehyun, was quite odd. “um—“

“kim.” his tone was rough. “we’ll be working on this together, yes?” 

“yeah.” doyoung cleared his throat. “we can.. we can take turns, you know, finding alternatives for the potion.” doyoung took out his notebook once more, opening to his page of notes on amortentia. 

he blushed when he realized the pages were covered in notes, but also doodles of hearts and _lips_ and _eyes_. more specifically, jaehyun’s features. 

jaehyun thankfully didn’t seem to notice as he looked over the notes. 

“you drew these?” there goes jaehyun not noticing.

“yes.” doyoung was itching to get his hands back on his notebook. he may or may not have jaehyun’s name written in korean somewhere in there. “hey!” 

doyoung lunged for his book when jaehyun kept flipping and _flipping_. jaehyun held him back, his large hand over doyoung’s chest. 

doyoung couldn’t tell, but jaehyun relished the feeling of doyoung’s heartbeat underneath his fingertips. he always wanted to feel the gentle _thump thump_ of his heart. 

“jae—jung, that isn’t funny. give it back.” 

“i’m not trying to be funny.” jaehyun shut the notebook and placed it on the table. “we won’t take turns for the potion.”

“what—“ 

“we’re working on it together, right? that’s what professor kim said. every wednesday and friday, we’ll meet in the library after hours to work on it. from there, we’ll find out where to go to test it, got it?” 

jaehyun knew doyoung’s prefect schedule by heart. it wasn’t like he’d lurk to find it out for the first two weeks of every new school year to find it out since fifth year. no way. 

“we can’t go in the library after hours, it’s forbidden.” doyoung reasoned. he didn’t notice how jaehyun knew his schedule. 

“aren’t you a prefect? just get us in with your prefect power.” 

“prefect power isn’t a thing. who told you that anyway?” doyoung finally placed his notebook back in his bag. 

“i don't know, i mean, you seem so far up everyone’s ass i thought you’d have a way into the library too.” 

doyoung froze in his spot. “ _oh_.” his voice was quiet.  
jaehyun realized his mistake, but didn’t backtrack. he deserved to hear it, he was up everyone’s ass.  
“well,” doyoung cleared his throat. “i’ll ask madame bae if we can use it after hours. if she says yes, then we’ll be fine..” his voice cracked and doyoung quickly shot up. “anyways, i have to go. i’ll see you later.” 

jaehyun bit his tongue as he watched doyoung flee the classroom. “stupid, stupid, stupid.” he slammed his head down on the desk and groaned. so much for being civil. 

🐍🦁

“am i stuck up?” doyoung asked. they were in the astronomy tower with one of the elves, trying new muggle experiments from some kits taeyong brought from home. “like,” he rushed to explain due to the concern look on taeyong’s face “am i up everyone's ass?” 

“what? no, doyoung. you’re not, you just follow the rules.” 

“right. like someone who’s stuck up.” doyoung continued to add glue to something called a _slime volcano_. 

“doyoung, where is this coming from?” taeyong stopped stirring his own can of glue and asked melody, a small house elf, to take his spot. 

“did i forget to mention that professor kim partnered us up for our potions assignment? and i may or may not have gotten paired with the apple of my eye.” 

“oh..” taeyong pondered the statement. “oh _no_.” 

“yeah, ‘oh no’.” doyoung whined. he aggressively began to add more glue and if taeyong wasn’t there to stop him, he might’ve dumped the whole case of glue into the mixture. “yongie, i don’t know what to do. he hates me and our conversation today literally proved it. he said i was up everyone’s ass.” 

“you’re not. don’t listen to him, he’s just used to getting everything handed to him.” 

“that’s not true.” doyoung didn’t know why he was defending the gryffindor. “he worked for his position as the quidditch captain and i sometimes see him in the library studying and… you were trying to console me weren’t you?” doyoung cut off his own rambling when he looked at taeyong’s face. 

“pretty much, sweetheart.” taeyong rubbed his arms. “you’ll be fine. what kind of assignment is it?” 

“that’s the gag. it’s an amortentia spell.” 

“wow. your situation can’t get any worse, can it?” 

“not funny!” doyoung pouted. “i don’t know what i’ll do when professor kim asks me what it smells like.” 

“lie.” taeyong said simply. “i do sometimes.”

“you know for a hufflepuff, you can come off as very cunning.” doyoung snorted. “in case you forgot, that’s my job.” 

“in case you forgot, i am also _loyal_. i’ll always be here for you doie. you need to know that you’ll be _fine_. that potion isn’t that hard anyway.” 

“because you’re used to doing stuff like that.” doyoung indicated to the tubs of slime all over the astronomy tower. “potions and experiments.” 

“it’s because of my mother, she made me do things like this when i was a kid. it’s no big deal, doyoung. potions is just mixing things up to make a treat of some sorts. similar to cooking, yeah?” 

doyoung didn’t get it, but he agreed with taeyong anyway. he wasn’t in the mood to speak, really. his thoughts were all about _jaehyun_. 

he always seemed to be the only thing on his mind these days. dakho wrote doyoung this morning, but not out of courtesy. he just wanted updates about jaehyun, which doyoung constantly lied about. 

after all, he was his father's son and all politicians do is lie. so he didn’t see a problem with it. a part of him knew he was protecting jaehyun. 

he could never tell his father how jaehyun associates himself with _many_ people, how they’re now partners for a project, how jaehyun was excelling in all his other classes, but failing in potions itself, the only way to save his grade being the potion. 

doyoung in all honestly craved friendship with jaehyun. the kind he has with that johnny kid. the kind he has with everyone at hogwarts, expect for him. 

“you don’t have to finish this, i can take it from here.” taeyong said. melody was helping him with the remaining slime. 

doyoung nodded silently, heading to one of the desks in the tower. it was directly under the moonlight, giving him the perfect light he needed to continue his sketch of jaehyun. 

most of his drawings were done by memory, by now. jaehyun’s thick brows, the beauty mark near his lip, the scar by his middle finger on his knuckle. all memorized. 

sometimes he finds it odd how compelled he is by the quidditch star-boy. how jaehyun could care less about what doyoung does and what he does during his free time. 

doyoung wonders what jaehyun does during _his_ free time. what he’s doing right now. but people talk. so that means it doesn’t leave much to his imagination. 

🐍🦁

jaehyun groaned as he thrusted into the slytherin one final time as he finished inside the condom. he leaned back against the sheets, his chest gleaming with sweat. 

“that was good.” he laughed, covering his eyes with his forearm. 

“for you, maybe.” ten scoffed. 

“what? it wasn’t good? i’m always good.” jaehyun said proudly. it wasn’t a secret that he was notorious for messing with people around hogwarts. 

have you seen his face? everything about him seemed to align with the golden ratio. 

“you’ve been off your game, jung.” ten sat up, grabbing his clothes from where they were flung off in the process of getting to the bed. 

“hey, hey, hey, hey,” jaehyun rushed forward to grab ten, placing his hand on his forearm.  
“c’mon baby, let’s go one more round.” 

“first of all,” ten shucked jaehyun’s hand off. “i’m not your baby. secondly, i think we should stop fucking.” 

jaehyun’s mouth dropped. he decided when he was done with people, _him_. no one has ever decided to leave jung jaehyun hanging. the feeling was new and it wounded jaehyun’s ego. 

“ _what_?” 

“what do you mean ‘ _what_ ’?” ten was fully clothed now. he smoothed out his hair in the mirror, attempting to look decent. “we’re done. find a new bootycall.” 

“i mean,” jaehyun was shellshocked. “i’ve… this has never happened before, i mean, have you seen me?” 

ten laughed. “i sure have, jung. you’re handsome, i admit, but don’t think you’re the top of the food chain. you should humble yourself, hm? maybe volunteer at the food bank.” ten’s tone was mocking and jaehyun felt offended. 

“well, i didn’t wanna fuck you anymore anyway.” 

“you’re such a child.” ten rolled his eyes. “you’re acting like it’ll be hard for you to find someone new anyway.” 

“you know, you’re really giving me mixed emotions right now.” jaehyun crossed his arms. 

“not my problem.” ten said. “why don’t you try kim doyoung? you’ve been eyeballing him since i transferred here anyway. why don’t you actually try to repress that tension before the school year is over?” 

“what the fuck?” jaehyun screeched. he tried not to show his panic, but his voice gave in to sound twenty times higher than his normal pitch. “i would never fuck him.” 

“then why are you so nervous right now?” ten raised a brow. he had a way with words that got you to reveal your truth and it scared jaehyun to no end. “are you in denial?” 

“i-i’m not. you’re just stupid for even saying that. our dads hate each other and doyoung’s dad is shitty, so that means—“ 

“he must be too?” ten finished. “hm. low, even for a gryffindor. you know, i thought you were different than the rest of these airheads who roam the halls. they all have that ‘ _by association_ ’ hivemind too.” 

“you know i’m a half blood, right?” 

no, jaehyun didn’t know that. ten didn’t let jaehyun speak.  
“when i transferred here from thailand and got sorted into slytherin, he was the only one who didn’t shun me due to my bloodline. i mean, _now,_ no one dares bother me about my parents.” 

“what are you trying to say?” jaehyun bit the inside of his cheek. 

“what i’m saying is maybe you should get your head out of your ass. doyoung’s father may be horrible, but that doesn’t mean he is. you wouldn’t know, but i have stuck up for the prefect before. maybe you should try it. sticking up for the people you care about.” 

“oh fuck off, ten. you don’t know shit about me and i suggest you get out. i also don’t give a fuck about doyoung.” jaehyun was angry. he shrugged on his trousers, not even in the mood to jack off. “maybe there’s a reason he gets made fun of. it isn’t my job to stick up for him, since when has he done the same for me?”

ten sighed, his point obviously not getting across to the hard-headed man. “you know what, jaehyun?” ten moved to the door. “for a gryffindor, you’re a real coward.” 

he didn’t give jaehyun a chance to reply, or he didn’t care for one, as he slipped away into the night leaving jaehyun to register the cold hard truth of his words. 

🐍🦁

“are you going to attend the match this friday?” 

“what match?” doyoung scrunched his nose as he read over the daily prophet. most of it was propaganda junk about his father and jaehyun’s, he just grabbed them to draw on. 

“the match between gryffindor and hufflepuff.” taeyong said. 

“oh.” doyoung spooned another scoop of cereal into his mouth, swallowing before he answered taeyong. “i honestly forgot all about that.” he shrugged. “are you going?” 

“yeah.” taeyong smiled. “johnny invited me.” 

doyoung began to choke on his cereal, his eyes bulging. taeyong worriedly moved around the table and rubbed his back. 

“are you okay? should i call madame lipa?” 

doyoung shook his head, holding up a hand to stop taeyong from making a scene. once he recovered, he dabbed his eyes clean with the table napkin and turned to taeyong. 

“johnny? as in johnny suh? the gryffindor johnny? not the johnny from the muggle movies you make me watch? the gryffindor johnny, who is in the same house as jaehyun? that one?” 

“what other johnny is there?” taeyong scoffed. “is it so hard to believe that he wanted me to attend the match?”

“what? no _no_ , taeyong. you’re one of.. what is that thing called again? _god_ , yeah. you’re one of god’s best creations.” doyoung cradled his face. 

taeyong giggled. “then why the long face?” 

“i just…” doyoung sighed and turned back to his now soggy cereal. “he’s just friends with jaehyun. what if he hates me too? what if…if…” he trailed off, picking at the edge of his bowl. 

taeyong’s heart turned soft when he realized what doyoung was getting at. “doyoung, i’m never leaving you.” 

“you don’t know that.” doyoung sniffled. “besides,, i’m just worried. i don’t know what he’s heard about me, or what he thinks about me, yong.” he turned to face his friend who was staring at him with somber eyes. “i can't afford to lose you. you’re all i have left.” 

taeyong brought his friend to his chest, aware that he was holding in his sobs in the grand hall. luckily, it was only breakfast and everyone was either didn’t care or were too tired to even look up from their meals. 

“i’m not leaving, doyoung. ever. i have hope that things will look up for you, because they will. not everyone has it out for you, even if it seems that way.” he pulled back, not surprised to see that doyoung’s eyes were red rimmed. “attend the game too on friday, yeah? it might be fun.” 

doyoung just nodded. he’d go, only for taeyong. maybe for jaehyun, too. “who are you going to cheer for anyway?” 

“hufflepuff, of course.” taeyong scoffed. “it is my house after all, do you think some boy will change that?” 

doyoung laughed. “no, i don’t think it would.” 

“there’s the doyoung i know.” taeyong ruffled his hair. “now hurry up, i wanna head to the pumpkin patch and find some morning frogs before charms.” 

doyoung twisted his face. taeyong and his weird obsession with frogs. doyoung told taeyong to head off without him, as he’d take some time to get a fresh bowl of cereal. 

he changed his option to the colored cereal that taeyong says is his favorite muggle brand. something with a toucan on it. 

he sat back down, isolated from the rest of the slytherin table, making sure to grab his copy of the prophet to finish his drawing. 

feeling as if someone were watching him, he glanced up to see jaehyun staring right at him. he slowly gulped down the cereal he was chewing. for what reason was even jaehyun looking at him?

he glanced around to see if someone else was near him, but no. when he looked back, jaehyun hadn’t stopped staring. it put him on edge, so he shoveled as much cereal in his mouth before leaving the grand hall. 

he tucked his copy of the daily prophet under his arm and snuck one last glance to where jaehyun was. he let out a small ‘phew’, when the gryffindor was nowhere to be found. 

classes started soon, so he quickened his pace to the pumpkin patch. he didn’t make it far when he was slammed against the castle wall. he winced when he felt the impact against his head. 

“just what do you think you’re up to, kim?” 

doyoung blinked his eyes open to see jaehyun, his forearm against his throat. not hard enough to cut off his air flow, but enough to warn him. 

“what are you talking about?” 

“don’t think i’m unaware.” jaehyun ripped the daily prophet from under doyoung’s arm. “you’re keeping up with the politics of the wizarding world, huh? just to see your dad fail?”

“you seriously think i care about all that garbage?” doyoung’s tone made jaehyun reel back. “i could care less about what my dad is up to, after all i know he’s always doing what he does best: lie.” 

“so you don’t care about the election?” jaehyun was confused. maybe ten was right. jaehyun knew he was, he just didn’t want to admit it. 

“it’d be my hearts desire to see my father lose to yours.” doyoung confessed. he felt as if he’d said too much, cheeks grown red. “i have to go. see you tonight.” 

right. they were meeting up in the library. jaehyun has forgotten all about that and probably would have left doyoung hanging if not for the reminder. 

he watched doyoung stalk off to merlin knows where. the copy of the daily prophet was crumbled under his grip now. he sighed and turned it over, the cover reading:

**Kim VS Jung: Who Will Reign the Wizarding World?**

that wasn’t what caught jaehyun’s eye though. though the paper was ruined, the sunlight hit the drawing in perfect light. jaehyun frowned as he ran his fingers over the sketch. 

it looked like _him_. his eye, his nose, the curve of his lip. the drawing was incomplete, but anyone who knew jaehyun could tell it was supposed to be him. 

“hey,” jaehyun startled at the voice and shoved the prophet under his robes. it was just johnny. 

“hey. what’s up?” 

“we got transfiguration soon, remember?” johnny pointed at the other end of the castle. 

“yeah..” jaehyun trailed off, still eyeing where doyoung vanished to. “let’s go.” he clicked his tongue, trying not to display his disappointment. 

just who was kim doyoung? 

🐍🦁

classes seemed to rush by too fast for doyoung’s liking. it was nighttime now and madame bae gave him the key to the library earlier in the day, as he was her favorite student. 

the slytherin dorms were quiet and cold and he winced when his bare feet touched the ground, grabbing a pair of slippers in the process. doyoung grabbed his robe and slipped into it. he didn’t bother changing into nice clothes, just his boxer shorts and some muggle band shirt taeyong gifted to him. 

he carries his notebook with him, but he managed. he was halfway out the door when he realized he forgot the damn key. he scolded himself and ran back to get it, rummaging through his drawer as quiet as possible. he took some time to do so and his arms were growing tired. he was sure jaehyun was already waiting by the library

as predicted, jaehyun had his arms crossed and he was tapping his feet when doyoung arrived. 

“took you long enough.” 

“sorry.” doyoung whispered. “forgot the key, so i had to go back and get it.” he grasped the key from his robe pocket and slipped it into the hole. even if the castle was hundreds of years old, the doors didn’t creak and doyoung was grateful for that. 

he locked it back from the inside when they both entered. “find a spot and we’ll look through the books in here on the potion.” 

jaehyun found a spot near the back of the library, under the large seamless window. the moonlight was perfect under here, but doyoung still lit a lantern. 

when he turned back around, jaehyun was staring at him. a soft snicker left him lips, leaving doyoung confused. 

“what?” doyoung asked. 

his eyes moved from doyoung’s face down to his feet and doyoung blushed. he forgot to change his dorm slippers, which happened to be pink bunnies. 

“hey,” doyoung pouted. “they were a gift from taeyong.” he shuffled on his toes. 

“don’t worry.” jaehyun laughed. “i think they’re cute.” 

doyoung almost choked on air, but managed to compose himself. he quickly sat down, folding out his notebook, not even bothering to reply. 

they worked in silence for at least twenty minutes, only the sound of their book pages flipping. it was broken when jaehyun spoke up. 

“so do you like cigarettes after sex?” 

“ _what_?” doyoung was absolutely appalled. why is jaehyun being so straightforward with him? “i’m… i’m a virgin who has shortness of breath.” doyoung said shyly. 

“ _what_? no, no, i mean,” jaehyun pointed his pencil at doyoung’s shirt from across the table. “your shirt. it’s a band called cigarettes after sex.” 

doyoung wished the floor would swallow him whole as he glanced down at the print. “oh.” he was embarrassed to say the least. he just admitted he was a virgin with respiratory issues to his enemy. “n-no, i don’t really know them. this was also a gift from taeyong.” 

“you’re close with him, huh? taeyong?” 

“i mean, yeah.” doyoung began to sketch in his notebook, a small slytherin emblem in the works. “he’s been my only friend for as long as i could remember.” doyoung smiled at the thought of taeyong. 

his first and maybe _only_ friend who stuck with him since first year. when the news about doyoung’s father views broke in third year, it seemed as though the world was turning against him. 

“ _his father hates half bloods and muggle born wizards, so he does too_.”

“ _i heard his mother left when he was a child because he was too much like his father. unloveable_.”

“ _he cheated on his owls, i saw him looking at jaehyun jung’s paper._ ”

jaehyun’s heart felt like it was turning in his chest. “what do you mean _only_? he’s been your only friend since you came to hogwarts?” 

“yes, jaehyun.” doyoung didn’t really feel like talking about it, since he was aware of his status. “not all of us are like you, you know.” 

“like me?” jaehyun wanted to know what doyoung thought of him. 

“perfect.” doyoung said, voice below a whisper that jaehyun thought he didn’t even speak if not for the movement of his lips. 

“me? i’m not perfect.” jaehyun remembered back to what ten told him. 

“no? what are you then?” doyoung challenged. “everyone here loves you and your father, you’re the captain of the quidditch team, you have impeccable grades, you can get anyone you want to like you or get them in bed, the professors don’t mind that you’re late everyday, the prefects don’t deduct points from your house if they see you around the halls after hours because—” _even i’ve seen you after hours, and i’ve done nothing to take away from you because i know it’d made people feel disappointed in you. i know first hand what it’s like to make people feel disappointed, and i never want you to feel the way i do_. “because they like you.” doyoung left his words unsaid. 

“that’s not true. well, not _all_ true.” jaehyun knew he could come off as cocky, but hearing the words come from doyoung made him humble himself just a little. 

“most of it is though, right?” doyoung began to sketch again, avoiding jaehyun’s eyes. “because you’re the golden boy of hogwarts. that’s what the first years call you. it’s what everyone calls you.” 

“do you call me that?” jaehyun attempted to get doyoung to look at him, but it didn’t work. “the golden boy of hogwarts?” 

“i don’t think it matters what i call you.” 

“why not?” jaehyun grew agitated. “you have the most to say, why not now, hm?” 

“what do you call me?” doyoung finally looked up. jaehyun shut his mouth, it open and closed like a fish out of water.

“i…what?” 

“what do you call me?” doyoung asked again. he didn’t know why he was feeling brave tonight, maybe the gryffindor in front of him gave him strength. or maybe he was just tired. 

“what do you mean what do i call you? you’re… you’re kim doyoung. what else is there to say?” 

“do you call me a snake, too? manipulative? cold hearted? controlling?” _unloveable_. doyoung left unsaid. that one hurt the most. 

jaehyun’s prolonged silence was just the answer he needed. “i knew it.”  
doyoung closed his notebook and stood up. 

“w-wha.. where you are going?” jaehyun frowned. “we aren’t even done—“ 

“it’s late, jaehyun.” doyoung whispered, not really in the mood to argue. “i gathered a couple of notes and we still have time to complete it. we’ll meet back here on friday, okay?” 

“doyoung—“ 

“goodnight, jaehyun.” doyoung said with finality and walked out the library, leaving jaehyun at a loss for words. 

the lantern went out and it was just jaehyun, alone. once again he was left with words left upon him by slytherin’s. 

🐍🦁

it was friday, also known as _game day_ , according to taeyong. 

“aren’t you so excited, doie?” taeyong giggled as he dotted doyoung’s face with yellow and black dots. he felt like a bumblebee, but didn’t wanna ruin the happy look on taeyong’s face. 

“hmm, i guess.” in all honesty, doyoung had only attended a couple of quidditch games. mostly because he wasn’t that interested, but the ones he did attend were because of jaehyun. “are you excited to see johnny?” 

“yes.” taeyong blushed. “he gave me a rose today, said it reminded him of me.” 

doyoung smiled, he was happy for his best friend. taeyong would always get stuck with bozo’s who only wanted to date him because he was so striking. doyoung would always have to be a cockblock, which got him called a few unwanted names, but he did anything to protect taeyong. 

“that’s because you are a rose, yongie.” doyoung squishes taeyong’s cheek, who whined at the affection.

“stop.” taeyong pulled back and rubbed his cheek. “you’ll ruin my makeup, i just did it.” 

doyoung sighed and grabbed the scarf taeyong provided him with, which was of course yellow and black. taeyong walked with a skip in his step as they maneuvered down to the quidditch field. 

doyoung watched as the first years ran around with their bags of kettle corn and everyone painting their faces with either yellow and black or gold and red. 

majority were in gold and red, probably because of _jaehyun_ , of course. 

speaking of, doyoung found it odd he didn’t see the captain, only his teammates. taeyong was looking at the group too, eyes trained mainly on johnny. 

“you can go, you know.” 

“what?” taeyong was being considerate. 

“i know you wanna say hi to him. go, i’ll be fine.” 

“thank you, doyoung.” taeyong gave him a quick hug and went to greet johnny. doyoung smiled when johnny gave taeyong a kiss to the cheek, causing taeyong to turn as red as the quidditch uniform. 

“what are you doing here?” 

doyoung almost leaped out of his skin, turning to face the captain. 

“i came because taeyong asked me to.” doyoung shivered due to the blow of the wind, his bangs going ruly. 

“will you attend more games?” jaehyun was squinting at doyoung, the sunlight in his eyes. 

doyoung shrugged. “i don't know. if taeyong asks me to, maybe. other than that, i don’t really see a reason to come.” 

“am i not a good enough reason?” jaehyun bantered. 

“i think you’re a _solid_ reason.” doyoung said. “don’t you have enough admirers today, anyway?” 

“one more can’t hurt, right?” jaehyun teased. 

“i suppose it can’t. that’s why taeyong is rubbing off the hufflepuff colors as we speak.” he beckoned his head to see johnny dotting his face with the red and gold of gryffindor. _betrayer_. 

“i didn’t mean..” jaehyun shook his head. “nevermind.” 

“good luck, though.” doyoung squeezed jaehyun’s forearm before quickly pulling back. “knock ‘em dead.” doyoung sent jaehyun a small smile, and jaehyun felt his heart flutter in his chest. 

that was odd. 

jaehyun didn’t get a chance to respond when taeyong sent jaehyun a small wave and dragged doyoung off to the gryffindor stands. 

he laughed when he heard doyoung complain about being called a betrayer, but taeyong didn’t seem to care. 

he heard madame rey’s whistle blow, which snapped him out of his trance. he definitely had to win today’s game and not because doyoung was watching. totally not because of doyoung. 

🐍🦁

to not one's surprise, gryffindor won the game. 

johnny hefted taeyong up and planted a kiss to his lips in front of the whole school, leaving taeyong red like a tomato. 

doyoung smiled as he watched his friend basically canoodle with the taller male. he didn’t have time to congratulate the team, remembering he had to be in the library with jaehyun soon. 

he’d congratulate jaehyun then. it felt more personal that way, not that it even mattered. he discreetly removed himself from the crowd, ready to wash the paint off his face and work with jaehyun tonight. 

“hey, taeyong. do you know where doyoung is?” jaehyun’s eyes searched the crowd for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

“no.” taeyong replied. “maybe he went back to the castle to wash his face? he doesn’t like stuff on his face.” taeyong informed him. 

“will he attend the kickback?” jaehyun asked. 

he saw taeyong shake his head. “those things aren’t really his scene. maybe you can catch him at the dorms?” 

jaehyun just nodded, saving the information for later. he smiled at the praise going on around him, claps on the back kisses being blown his way. the feeling never got old. 

🐍🦁

parties weren’t allowed at hogwarts, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be stopped from happening. they just couldn’t get caught, and they’ve never been caught. 

booze and bottles of different concoctions were passed around the gryffindor common room, the area filled with people of every house, even nerdy mark lee was here, who seemed to be chugging down a hefty amount of beer. 

“great job today, jaehyun.” he felt an hand press against his forearm. it was quorra, a ravenclaw from his astronomy class. 

“thanks.” jaehyun took a swig of his beer. 

“anytime.” she lingered around still, not leaving “are you looking for some fun?”

jaehyun honestly wasn’t in the mood. “i don’t know, quorra. i kinda wanted to enjoy myself tonight.” 

“aw, come on jaehyun.” she fake pouted. “are you going soft?” 

he scoffed and threw his beer can somewhere the, blindly grabbing for another. “soft? for who?” 

“we all see it. you and kim doyoung.” 

jaehyun stopped drinking his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “the fuck? whose saying this?” 

“people talk, jae.” she pressed a manicured finger to his bicep. “news gets spread fast, you know? i heard his father makes doyoung keep an eye on you.”

“who told you that?” 

“i don’t remember.” she was probably lying. “i don’t doubt it's not true, though. have you seen his eyes? practically a snakes and everyone knows a snake holds no love.” 

jaehyun felt a hot flash of anger course through him. doyoung wasn’t a _snake_. he couldn’t find it in him to defend his partner, though. instead he let quorra continue her rant. 

“he uses a lot of people too. i’m sure he’s only stringing taeyong along until we graduate, but it’s not like it matters. taeyong is getting along very well with that seeker of yours.” 

taeyong was openly blushing at johnny’s blatant flirting, the younger was cozied on johnny’s lap, johnny’s arm around taeyong’s waist. 

jaehyun wished he could hold someone like that. _doyoung_. but doyoung wasn’t here. only quorra was. without thinking much, jaehyun finished his beer, once again disposing of it on the floor. 

“let’s go to my room.” he dragged quorra through the common room, ignoring the whistles and giggles coming from the other students. 

he wasn’t _thinking_. he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. he wasn’t thinking when he kissed her. he wasn’t thinking when she pulled at his hair. he wasn’t thinking when he entered. he wasn’t thinking when he pulled out. and he _definitely_ wasn’t thinking of doyoung anymore. 

🐍🦁

it was still late and jaehyun patted his bed for a bottle of water. his mouth was dry. he was surprised to find the bed empty, but glad that quorra already left so they didn’t have to deal with any awkward moments the morning after. 

he held a hand up to his eyes when the door to his room opened. 

“close it.” he said. the person did so, moving closer to the bed. “johnny?” 

“he’s passed out on the couch.” taeyong’s voice sounded throughout the room. “yuta is gonna help bring him to his room.” 

“oh.” jaehyun sat up, his head spinning. “okay.” 

“why are you here?”

“what do you mean why i’m here?” jaehyun raised a brow. “in case you forgot, this is my room.” 

“i know _that_ , jackass.” jaehyun was taken aback by the hufflepuff’s word choice. of all things to leave taeyong’s mouth, he didn’t expect that. “i mean i thought you and doyoung had a meetup tonight. about the potions project.” 

jaehyun shot up. “oh, _shit._ ” he scrambled for his pants, hastily pulling them on. 

“you forgot?” taeyong squeaked. “you didn’t even let him know?” 

“i know, i know.” jaehyun rushed to put on his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair. “i forgot, okay? _fuck_ , this stupid party got my head all messed up.” 

“you could have at least let him know.” taeyong was angry. 

“i know, okay!” jaehyun shouted. he pulled on his shoes, pushing past taeyong. he felt the hufflepuff hot behind his trail. “it slipped my mind, i didn’t think.” 

“you’d better apologize to him, golden boy.” taeyong yelled when jaehyun finally exited the dorms. the name ‘golden boy’ didn’t seem as happy as it was made out to be. jaehyun bit his lip and ran through the halls to the library. 

he didn’t even know if doyoung would still be there, but it was worth a shot. 

when he arrived, the library door was left slightly open. _for me?_ he pushed it open and looked around, spotting the orange dim of the lantern. 

he quietly made his way in, careful of making too much noise. doyoung had his back turned to the desk, piling up his notes. 

“oh.” doyoung happened to turn around at the same time jaehyun made his place behind him. “you’re here.” 

“yeah.” jaehyun didn’t know how to respond, scratching at the back of his neck. “sorry for the wait. i was… busy.” 

“i can see that.” doyoung tried not to show a sad face, pulling his notebook to his chest. “you obviously had more important things to do.” doyoung eyed the hickies painting jaehyun’s skin. 

“that isn’t fair.” jaehyun rolled his eyes. “you always know we throw parties after every game, even if we play or not.” 

“that’s not the point, jae.” doyoung shuffled on his feet and jaehyun didn’t miss the nickname. “is our project not important to you at all?” 

“of course it is!” jaehyun threw his hands up. “i just forgot, okay? you don’t have to be so uptight about it.” 

“i…i’m not _trying_ to be uptight, okay?” doyoung’s voice was strained. 

“oh, you just are uptight then?” 

“no, no,” doyoung shook his head. this wasn’t supposed to happen. “i just thought you’d consider missing just one party, you know?”

“for what? for _you_?” 

even doyoung had to admit that stung. he had tears welling in his eyes, but he blinked them away. “no. not for me, for our project.” he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “i thought you'd at least try.” 

“i did, okay? and don’t act like you didn’t keep me waiting the other night, too.” jaehyun reasoned. it was an unfair comparison, doyoung didn’t even have him waiting long and the thing is, doyoung _actually_ showed up. “i don’t know why you’re being so prissy about this. you know what quorra told me? she told me your father makes you spy on me? is that true, kim?” 

doyoung twisted his mouth, palms growing sweaty. 

“is that why you draw me so much?” 

his felt his knees give and he was glad he had the desk for support. “w-what? how did you—“ 

“so it’s true.” jaehyun scoffed. “you _are_ spying on me.” 

“what? no, no,” doyoung shook his head for the upteenth time that hour. “i swear, i’m _not_. father asks me to, but i don’t tell him the truth.” 

“you really are a liar. don’t act like you don’t watch me practice quidditch every other day.” jaehyun rolled his eyes. “you know what? people are right. you are a snake. you _are_ unlovable.”

doyoung couldn’t stop the sob that left his lips. 

_unlovable. that’s why your mother left. that’s why everyone will leave. because you’re destined to be alone, you’re unlovable._

he knew it was true, but to hear it from someone who he cared for immensely was a feeling somewhat similar to stabbing a knife through his heart. 

jaehyun felt regret seep through his bones when he saw doyoung’s body rack with sobs. 

“doyoung, i—“ he moved forward. 

“please, don’t speak.” doyoung’s voice was weak. “just stop. i understand.” 

“listen, i didn’t mean it like that.” jaehyun was worried now. he didn’t want doyoung to think that, he didn’t _mean_ it. he was just angry when he had no right to be when he was in the wrong. “you know i didn’t mean it like that.” 

“i have to go.” doyoung wiped his snot, embarrassed that he let himself go like that. his father would call him a coward if he saw him right now. he moved past jaehyun, but winced when his wrist was caught in jaehyun’s hand. 

“doyoung, don’t leave. i am sorry, i really am.” 

“please let go.” doyoung begged. 

“n-no.” jaehyun stuttered. 

“jaehyun, just let _go_.” doyoung’s tone was too strained, and jaehyun dropped his hand. doyoung let out a sigh of relief, the place where jaehyun’s hand was felt like it was on fire. 

jaehyun could only watch as doyoung composed himself, the slytherin taking deep breaths to calm himself down. whatever was happening, jaehyun didn’t like it. 

he felt like saying something, but he didn’t know what. he couldn’t really say anything in the moment, could he? they weren’t together, would never be together, but the feeling jaehyun was experiencing felt somewhat similar to heartbreak. 

he felt like calling doyoung back, to tell him he was sorry, he didn’t mean it at all. he was just angry, but not at him, _never_ at him. _stay, please, stay._

doyoung glanced back at jaehyun, his eye swollen red and his cheeks stained with tears. jaehyun wanted to cradle him in his arms, tell him he’d be okay, that they’d be okay. but he didn’t. he was the cause of doyoung’s sadness and jaehyun couldn’t take it back. 

“congrats for the win today, by the way. i knew you'd win.” jaehyun’s heart shattered when doyoung still managed a weak, fleeing smile. doyoung turned on his feet and left the library, the door shutting softly behind him. 

jaehyun was left in the dim lit room, the orange slowly fading as the lantern was beginning to die out. he turned to face the table and it seemed as though doyoung left some of his notes behind. 

jaehyun looked at them, and yet again he saw another drawing. except this time, it was actually jaehyun. his eyes, his nose, his lips, his brows. there were notes written on the sheet as well. 

_peppermint, rose petals, rose thorns, i can ask taeyong to borrow it from the roses johnny gives him._  
_!! reminder to ask jaehyun to get the ashwinder eggs instead of the pearl dust since he mentioned he was allergic to it in class once !!_  
_powdered moondust — go to hogsmeade to get this, as well as a strawberry chapstick for taeyong._

jaehyun said he was allergic to pearl dust months ago. somehow, doyoung managed to remember. he gulped and folded the sheet of paper carefully. he tucked it into his pants as the room finally submerged into darkness, leaving him alone with his thoughts once more. 

🐍🦁

doyoung wasn’t in class on monday, which automatically struck jaehyun as odd. he kept his eyes open incase he saw the familiar forest green robes enter the classroom, but it never came. 

“i can't believe you and the snake finished that potion already.” johnny scoffed under his breath, continuing his notes. “it’s so hard, juyeon and i have been working on developing new methods, but nothing works.” 

“ _what_?” jaehyun’s chin was on his palm and he sat up when johnny told him that. 

“what do you mean? your grades have been posted to the bulletin board already.” johnny pointed to the back of the room, eyes lingering on the board. 

jaehyun looked to professor kim, who wasn’t lecturing today, thankfully. he scooted out of his chair and walked to the back, trying to see what johnny meant.

**YEAR 7, ASSIGNMENT: AMORTENTIA POTION**  
**DONGYOUNG, KIM — OUTSTANDING**  
**JAEHYUN, JUNG — OUTSTANDING**

he grazed his fingers over the letters. _outstanding_. doyoung finished the project without him. he tried not to let it sting, but it was understandable given the situation. 

he could only imagine how hard doyoung worked given he practically perfected the potion within two days. 

_what did his smell like? nothing? something? like taeyong?_

no, he isn’t in love with taeyong. they’re just friends. best friends. 

he walked back to his desk, plopping himself down next to johnny. 

“you alright, man?” 

“yeah.” jaehyun his his disappointment. “just thinking.”

“hmm, yeah, i’ve been doing a lot of that too.” johnny stretched his arms. “mainly about taeyong.” 

“that’s nice.” jaehyun said honestly. 

“too bad he’s friend with doyoung.” 

“huh?” jaehyun asked. “i thought you were fine with it.” 

“i mean, _yeah_.” johnny rolled his eyes. “but it doesn’t mean i’d prefer him to be friends with someone else.” johnny shrugged. “can you tell me what you did, by the way? to get the potion to be correct?” 

“he isn’t bad.” jaehyun mumbled. 

“what?” 

“doyoung. he isn’t bad. and he isn’t a snake.” jaehyun found himself sticking up for the slytherin for the first time _ever_. 

“only a week of being partners with him and your mind suddenly changed?” johnny scoffed. “you’re the first one to hiss when he enters a room.” 

“i mean it doesn’t take long for a persons views to change, does it?” 

“i guess not, but why rush to finish the project? you obviously couldn’t stand being around him to finish so quick.” 

“maybe you should stop talking so bad about your boyfriends best friend.” jaehyun frowned. “i don’t think taeyong would appreciate the things you’re saying and honestly, neither do i.” 

around him the students began standing up and exiting the classroom. it was already over?

“what’s gotten into you? i thought you hated him.” 

“well maybe i don’t anymore, huh? i don’t hate him.” jaehyun packed his things away . “i think you should go, john.” 

“yeah.” johnny clicked his tongue. “so do i.” 

jaehyun pulled at his hair when johnny left the classroom, leaving only him and professor kim. speaking of, jaehyun grabbed his bag and went to his desk. 

“um, professor kim?” 

“oh, jaehyun. just the student i wanted to see.” 

“really?” he had a confused look on his face. 

“yes, of course. did you have to time check your grade on the project?” 

“i did, and about that—“ 

“yours and doyoung’s potion is the best i’ve seen from students. when doyoung turned it in, he said you’d been bedridden. i hope you’re better now, but i still need to know what you smell to put it into the grading system.” 

“i, uh.. what i smell?” 

“from the potion, of course.” professor kim rummaged in his drawer and produced a small bottle. the liquid was a mix between pink and purple. he opened it and his airways were instantly filled with the scent of—

“vanilla.” jaehyun said. “it smells like vanilla and,” he sniffed once more. “a hint of rose.” 

“fantastic!” professor kim jotted it down. “you’re free to go, mr. jung. and great work.” 

“t-thanks.” jaehyun felt guilty. none of it was his work. “may i ask what doyoung said it smelled like?” 

“oh, sure.” professor kim frowned at his notes. “usually partners do it together, but…ah, here. he said he smelled ‘ _something similar to a freshly cut grass mixed with an ocean scent.’_ ” 

jaehyun smelled like that due to being out on the quidditch fields so much. _did he smell me?_

“oh. thanks professor.” jaehyun sent him a small smile and left the room. he let out a deep breath as he placed his back against the wall. 

_did doyoung smell me? or was it someone else on the quidditch team? taeil from ravenclaw? or kevin from hufflepuff? taeyong? no, taeyong didn’t play quidditch. it has to be me. it has to._

he was going to find out. he had to talk to doyoung. 

🐍🦁

trying to get to doyoung was harder than he thought. the boy was never in the halls, doyoung didn’t look or speak in potions and bolted when class was dismissed, he didn’t see him at breakfast, and when he asked taeyong, the elder used a string of curses on him. 

he’d also been avoiding johnny for a couple days now. 

“you have to talk to me sometime.” johnny spoke outside his room door. 

jaehyun stayed giving him the silent treatment, throwing a toy ball he owned against the wall and watching it bounce back. 

“i spoke to taeyong.” johnny said. still no response. “i spoke to doyoung, too.” 

jaehyun shot up from the bed and ran to the door, tripping over worn out clothes, quickly opening it. “you _what_?” 

“spoke to doyoung.” johnny was leaning on the side and pushed past jaehyun to flop down on his bed. “he’s actually nice. really nice. and nothing like what people say about him.” 

“that isn’t funny.” 

“what is?” 

“you’re lying.” 

johnny scoffed. “and you’re a dick. i told taeyong how i felt and he told me off, which is understandable. he asked me to meet doyoung and get to know him and i’ll admit it. i was wrong.” 

“told you so.” 

“what exactly did you tell me, jae?” johnny sat up. “when i said that about him, it was the first time you’ve ever defended him. don’t act like you didn’t help partake in the malicious rumors that were spread about him.” 

“i know, okay? i just…” jaehyun wrung his hand together. “i just felt obligated to… ruin him. the school and the election and my father. i don’t think i ever wanted to do it, but i had to.” 

“you didn’t have to. you could have told me you liked him.” 

“i don’t like doyoung.” 

“you’re such a liar, jae. how long are you going to live in denial? when he’s slipped through your fingers?” 

“and you need to stop talking about things you know nothing about. i don’t like him and he doesn’t like me. his father makes him spy on me, did you know that? what kind of person really goes through—“

“you know, you’re giving mixed signals. you protect him and then you criticize him. did you even ask doyoung if he went through with it?”

jaehyun went silent. _no, i didn’t._

“right.” johnny stood up, placing his hand on jaehyun’s shoulder. “maybe you should try to console him before the election voting begins. i think it’d be nice for him to have a friend.” 

johnny left with that, leaving jaehyun alone, once more to his thoughts. 

🐍🦁

the prefect bathrooms were the best part of being titled prefect, according to doyoung. the lavish and large bathrooms with a tub as big as a jacuzzi. 

doyoung could get used to this.

he always showered at night to avoid a run in with anyone in the castle, preferring to be alone when he let himself loose. 

doyoung was preening around in his long black dress shirt. he had on his boxers too, but they were covered. 

“where is _it_?” doyoung frowned as he dug around in the cabinet, looking for his loofa and a body wash. “ah-ha.” he smiled as he pulled out the wash, vanilla and rose. 

taeyong always brings him a bottle back when he goes to the muggle world, he says it from a place called _bath and body works_. strange name, but doyoung made taeyong promise him to accompany him one day so he could try every scent they owned. 

he grabbed his towel and headed to the tub, looking down at the ingredients wondering if he can dwindle up a copy of his own. doyoung failed to hear the creak of the door open, but was wide eyed when it slammed shut. 

he screeched when he saw jaehyun of all people standing at the door, his arms up in surrender. in the process, his loofa, towel, and body wash fell to the ground as he tried to make himself look decent, buttoning up his shirt. 

“what are you doing here?”

“sorry, _sorry_ ,” jaehyun was turned around, facing the tall wooden doors instead as his cheeks heated. “i was just.. passing by and i wanted to say hi?” 

“the prefect bathrooms are _hidden_ , jaehyun, how did you find them?” doyoung bent down and picked up all of his things, placing them at the edge of the tub. 

“i, maybe, kinda, _sort of,_ asked seulgi where it was.” 

of course. seulgi was the sweet prefect of ravenclaw and she’d definitely tell jaehyun since he did have promising puppy dog eyes. 

“next time i’ll tell seulgi not to give in.” doyoung’s voice was closer now. jaehyun turned to find them face to face. “you shouldn’t be here.” 

“but i am.” jaehyun squeezed his hands together. he’d been dreaming of this moment for weeks and it backfired a little, but he was still happy nonetheless to be with doyoung again. 

“you have to go.” doyoung pushed him back, his palm against jaehyun’s chest. “i’ll take away points from gryffindor.” 

“i’m not going anywhere, doyoung.” jaehyun grabbed doyoung’s wrist. “and you won’t take away points from gryffindor.” 

“what makes you say that? how do you know i won’t take points away?” doyoung sneered. jaehyun was right, but doyoung didn’t want to tell him that. 

“because, it’d hurt me. and you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.” jaehyun said. doyoung’s grip weakened and he went to pull back. 

“let me go!” doyoung fought back, but nothing worked. “please, let go, jaehyun. you have to leave, go away—“ 

jaehyun pulled him even closer, nose to nose. his hands were on doyoung’s waist now, squeezing the skin. 

doyoung faltered in his words and movements, his hands no longer scrambling to get away. instead they were both flat against jaehyun’s chest as he breathed in his scent. 

“please, don’t make me leave.” jaehyun spoke softly. “tell me to stay.”  
doyoung’s mouth opened and closed. do i have the courage to do that? his breath hitched when jaehyun placed his forehead against doyoung’s own.  
“i've been a coward for a long time, doyoung. grant me the strength to do what i’ve always had to do.” 

“would you like to bathe with me?” doyoung said quietly. 

“i’d _love_ to bathe with you.” jaehyun replied back just as quiet. 

the walk back to the tub was short, and doyoung let go of his hand and turned. “no peeking.” 

jaehyun did as he was told, but couldn’t help but steal a glance when doyoung dropped the shirt as he ascended into the water. his back was muscular and clear. 

jaehyun eyed the boxers and black long shirt on the ground. it was his turn. he pulled over his own black shirt, his abs showing in all their glory. 

doyoung’s breath hitched as he watched jaehyun strip. “hey,” jaehyun’s voice was teasing. “no peeking.” 

“not fair.” doyoung huffed, but still looked away when jaehyun stripped down the rest of the way. honestly, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle it anyway. 

the water was hot and stung against jaehyun’s sore muscles, which he kind of appreciated. if he’d known the prefects get these benefits, he would have stopped clowning around a long time ago. 

“i miss seeing you when i practice.” jaehyun said when he got in the water. 

“there was no reason for me to go.” doyoung said, his back facing the captain. jaehyun understood why. 

doyoung turned to grab his body wash, but was stopped by jaehyun placing his hand over his own. “let me.” 

doyoung sent him a soft nod and pulled back. he heard the cap pop open and shifted when jaehyun placed the loofa on his skin. jaehyun’s rub was soft and gentle, he treated doyoung the way he treated things he cared about. 

doyoung tried not to hop out the tub and scurry off, jaehyun’s hands were hot against his skin and he didn’t know how much longer he could handle it. 

out of the corner of his eye, the loofa was placed down. doyoung went to rinse his skin, but his eyes grew wide when jaehyun pulled him back against his bare chest. he didn’t think it was possible, but he felt every crease presented. 

jaehyun placed his chin on doyoung’s shoulder, speaking into his ear. 

“i never did thank you for completing the potion on your own. professor kim said it was the best he’d ever seen.” 

“yes, well,” doyoung shivered. “i tried my best.” 

“what did you smell?” 

“what?” doyoung went stiff, if jaehyun noticed he didn’t retaliate from the position. 

“do you wanna know what i smelled?” jaehyun didn’t let doyoung respond as he continued. “vanilla and rose. there was a trace of the smell of ink, but i was overwhelmed by the scent of those two. i slowly figured it was the scent of someone who i’d fallen in love with a long time ago. problem was, i was too cowardly to do anything about it and instead put up a front and pretended to dislike him for the sake of my reputation. it was a mistake, and one i’ll never do again.” 

doyoung was crying now, shaking even, and jaehyun held him close through it all. “you said i was unlovable. it isn’t supposed to be like this, you said—“

“and i was entirely wrong. you’re the most loveable person i’ve met in my life. i don’t know how i didn’t realize it sooner.” 

jaehyun moved around to face doyoung, whose head was down. he held two fingers under his chin, pulling his head up, the tears flowing freely. 

“i know what i said was cruel and devious, but know that from the bottom of my heart, i am sorry and wish i could take the words back, even though i can’t. i want nothing but _you_ , doyoung. it’s always been you. can you forgive me? accept my love even though you deserve better?” 

“oh, _jaehyun_. i don’t think it can get better than this.” 

jaehyun smiled a genuine one after a long time and kissed doyoung after wanting to for so very long. the kiss was slow and sweet, a soft moan leaving doyoung’s lips. this was all new to him after all. he grabbed jaehyun’s nape, pulling him closer while jaehyun’s hands gripped his waist. 

they moved against the wall of the tub, doyoung with his back against it as their lips never unlocked from each other’s. his lips against jaehyun’s was a feeling he could only describe as euphoria.

jaehyun pulled back and immediately moved to doyoung’s neck. doyoung moaned in surprise as jaehyun nibbled and bit down on his soft skin, knowing it’d be marked purple soon. 

“you’re so beautiful, doie. everything about you is beautiful.” jaehyun mumbled into doyoung’s neck. 

doyoung felt like he was going to pass out with all the emotions he was feeling. jaehyun continued, but he went lower this time and doyoung panicked. 

“jae, w-wait, wait,” 

“is something wrong?” jaehyun pulled back, his eyes filled with worry as he searched doyoung’s face for any injury or discomfort. 

“n-no, i just..” he bit his lip. “i want our first time to be… special.”  
jaehyun’s face broke out into a smile and doyoung groaned, he felt like it sounded stupid. 

“hey, hey,” jaehyun cooed, bringing doyoung’s face into his palms. “you have nothing to be ashamed of. i understand why you feel like this. it’s okay to be nervous, you know?” 

“i know.” doyoung replied. “it’s just…seems silly and you have more expertise in that area and i’m…clueless.” 

“nothing you say or do is silly, doie.” jaehyun sat down against the the small step against the wall of the tub next to doyoung. “we can do it whenever you’re ready.” 

“o-okay.” doyoung brought his knees up to his chest. he couldn’t help but still feel silly. “it’s just… you’ve done this so many times before and.. has it ever been special? is sex even meant to be special?” 

jaehyun contemplated his next words. “i mean, sex can be special.” _but it never has been for me. i’ve never fucked someone i was in love with_. “but it can also be meaningless.” 

“oh.” doyoung said shortly. “with me—“

“i promise you, it’ll be the first time i’ve had _special sex_ with someone.”  
doyoung bursted out laughing at that.  
“what’s so funny?” jaehyun frowned. 

“i-i’m sorry, the way you said special sex like it’s a coined term.” doyoung snorted. 

jaehyun couldn’t help the smile that took over his face. “oh, yeah? is that so funny?” he began to tickle doyoung who protested at the action. 

jaehyun realized he was finally _happy_. he was content with the situation they were in. 

“s-stop!” doyoung heaved. his lungs began to burn due to jaehyun. 

“apologize!” 

“no!” 

“apologize.” jaehyun didn’t let up.

“o-okay, i’m sorry.” doyoung cooled down when jaehyun pulled back. 

“that’s what i thought.” 

“oh, shut up.” doyoung rolled his eyes. they sat in comfortable silence, but doyoung wanted more.  
“can we make out again?”

“i thought you’d never ask.” 

🐍🦁

“i still think we shouldn’t go public.” 

“why?” 

“he’s the sweetheart of hogwarts. if people find out he’s dating the slithering snake, they’ll hold it against him.” 

“have you told the _sweetheart of hogwarts_ this?” taeyong dusted his shelves. 

“no.” doyoung wrung his hands together. “i don’t want him to think i don’t want to be seen with him.” 

“you know i expected him to be reluctant,” taeyong says. “not the other way around.” 

“i know.” doyoung pouted. “i’m just worried for him. i don’t want him to get harassed—“

“the way you do.” taeyong sat down next to him on the bed. “right.” 

“if he knows how many people hate me, he might lose it.” 

“tell him. i wanna see him go ape-shit one day.” 

doyoung laughed. “me too...i’ll tell him how i feel about our relationship eventually. he has to know.” 

“i’m sure he’ll understand, doie.” taeyong squeezed his cheek. “now go, i'm sure he’s waiting for you in the dorms.” 

“no, he isn’t? we didn’t plan on meeting today.” 

“yeah, _you_ two didn’t. but johnny and i did. so, shoo.” taeyong pushed him out. “go tell him how you feel.” 

“but—“ 

“go!” taeyong didn’t give him a chance when the door shut in his face. doyoung rolled his eyes. taeyong was way too into relationships right now, but so was he so he couldn’t blame his best friend. now, he had to find jaehyun. 

🐍🦁

locating him wasn’t hard. doyoung walked out into the quidditch field, watching jaehyun go at it alone. 

it was peaceful, no other members of the gryffindor team. just him and jaehyun, sort of. doyoung waited until jaehyun noticed him, in the meantime he sketched jaehyun as he always found himself doing. 

it wasn’t until he looked up once more to find jaehyun staring down at him from his broom, his face widening into a smile. jaehyun hurriedly came down, his feet hitting the ground before he was near it. 

“you need to take your time, you can hurt yourself you know.” 

“you’re always worth the rush.” jaehyun cheesed. his cheeks and nose were tinted red due to the cold. 

“cheesy.” doyoung replied. jaehyun sat down next to him and doyoung raised his palms to jaehyun’s face. “you can't stay out so long, you’ll get sick.” 

jaehyun nuzzled into his hand, most likely due to the warmth it provided him. “no can do, i have to get better.” 

“you’re always better.” doyoung rubbed his thumb across jaehyun’s cheeks. 

“hmm.” jaehyun hummed and closed his eyes. “what are you doing out here?” 

“i can't visit you?” doyoung joked. 

“did you come to draw me?”  
doyoung went to pull back, but jaehyun caught him.  
“you don’t have to tell me. i know you do it and i don’t mind. _why_ do you do it?” 

“it calms me.” doyoung admitted. 

“what about it calms you?” 

“it’s because i’m sketching you. your eyes. your lips. your face. you calm me.” 

jaehyun opened his eyes. 

“why do you look so nervous then?” 

doyoung pulled back and jaehyun let him this time. 

“it’s complicated.” 

“is it?” jaehyun scooted closer. “i feel like you’re shutting me out.” 

“i’m not.” doyoung turned to face him. 

“then what is it? are you ashamed?”

“what? no, _no_ , no one could be ashamed of you.” doyoung said it so nonchalantly, jaehyun’s heart tore at the idea of how many times doyoung must’ve thought that. “i’m just… i’m afraid.” 

“doyoung, if anyone tries to hurt you, i’m here—“ 

“not for me. for _you_.” doyoung stressed. 

_for me?_ “you know i’m a big boy, right?” jaehyun joked. “i can handle myself.” 

“jaehyun, people… people are mean and they’re ruthless sometimes.” doyoung bit his lip and traced over his journal. “i don’t want that for you.” 

“i know i haven’t treated you the best—“

“jae, it’s in the past. i know you’re sorry—“

“and i’ll say it again. i’m sorry, doie. i love you. please don’t worry about me. i’m fine, and i’ll continue to be fine.” 

doyoung sucked in a deep breath. “i’m holding you to that, alright?” 

“i don’t doubt you will.” jaehyun laughed, his breath turning frosty in the air. “c’mere.” he pulled doyoung closer, who let out a squeak of surprise at the action. jaehyun wrapped his arm around doyoung’s shoulder, breathing in his rose shampoo. 

they were still, enjoying the sunset. doyoung’s fingers occasionally scratching at his journal. he opened it gently and began to sketch the view. jaehyun glanced down and smiled into doyoung’s hair. 

his fingers were gentle as he blended in the pencil smears with each other to create something keen to what they were seeing. 

“you can pose for me one day.” doyoung said quietly. he didn’t look up, his fingers still grasping his pencil. “just for fun.” 

“i’d love to, doyo.” 

jaehyun received a hum in reply, which he was content with. he smiled and pressed a kiss into doyoung’s hair, enjoying their time together. 

🐍🦁

“the election is soon.” jaehyun said quietly, his fingers running through doyoung’s hair. he felt doyoung tense against him and regretted bringing up the topic, but it had to be spoken about. 

“i know.” doyoung gulped down his fear, or at least he tried to. “how do you feel?” 

“i don’t think this is about me. how do you feel?” jaehyun pulled doyoung’s face to his. 

“shitty.” doyoung confessed. 

“you know that whatever happens won’t change the way i feel for you, yes?” jaehyun rubbed him thumb over doyoung’s bottom lip, softly touching his scar. 

“i-i know.” doyoung hesitated. “i just worry for you. i don’t want anything bad to happen.” 

“nothing bad will happen to me. you don’t have to worry.” jaehyun pressed his lips to doyoung’s own. “i think i worry about you more than you do me.” 

“impossible.” 

“way possible.” jaehyun brought doyoung’s hands to his lips and kissed it. “whatever happens, you come to me, yes?” doyoung didn’t reply, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. “hey, none of that.”  
jaehyun lifted his chin up with two fingers. “the night of the election, come see me.”  
the results of election would air after hours, meaning he’d be all alone. 

“okay.” doyoung agreed. he had no choice, really. at the time, he and taeyong were too young to know what had been going on with the election. all he knew is that his father lost, but harassment still followed doyoung wherever he went. 

jaehyun knew doyoung was probably lying, but he took the small answer in itself anyway. doyoung would be fine. they’d be _fine_. jaehyun didn’t care about the election, but doyoung did, only because whoever won would still haunt him. he could never win. 

🐍🦁

“wizards of the world, your new minister of magic is _dakho kim_.” the newscaster read off the results from her sheet of paper. 

doyoung’s stomach turned and he lurched for his garbage bin, but missed it by a long shot. it was only water since he didn’t eat all day, due to his nerves. 

_jaehyun. i need jaehyun._

he fled from his dorms, the stone floor of the common room cold against his feet, but given the circumstances he could care less. 

the other wizards who stayed up to hear the results watched him whizz by. whose side they were on, doyoung didn’t know nor bother to hear. his mind was riddled with his father and jaehyun and taeyong, everyone he cared about. 

doyoung choked on his own breath when the hallways weren’t dead. instead, students of all houses roamed around, some screeching and others making an overall ruckus. 

_this is bad. i need to leave._

he turned back around, but didn’t get far as he was slammed against the castle walls. his vision spotted as his airways were cut off, slightly. 

“just where do you think you’re going, kim?” doyoung recognized the voice, it was some kid from the gryffindor quidditch team, wonho, was his name, doyoung couldn't remember. all he focused on was trying to breathe. 

“ _please_ ,” doyoung strained. his feet were practically dangling from the ground. “please, stop.” his voice was straining. 

“and why would i do that? we all know your father manipulated the votes. dakho ruling the wizarding world is a mistake, and we can’t have his little kin over here ruining it for us too, hm?” wonho snickered and his goons who doyoung didn’t realize until now followed.  
“what do you say boys? no one will miss him too much, huh?” 

“mr. kang! take your hands off mr. kim, _now_!” madame bae’s voice rung throughout the halls. so many professors were attempting to get the students back into their dorms. 

doyoung felt his lungs finally work again as he slumped against the wall. he grabbed at his throat, massaging it as tears fled his vision. 

“you and your silly group of friends will be heading to the headmasters office now.” 

“madame bae—“ 

“now!” she roared and the boys jetted off to his voice. she stooped down to doyoung who looked so _frail_. “doyoung, my sweet, are you alright?” her heart tore when he flinched back. “doyoung, let’s get you to the infirmary, you need to get checked.” 

“no, no,” doyoung cried. “i need to leave. i need to go or he’ll get hurt.” 

“doyoung, you need to stay _here_.” madame bae tried to conceal her worries. “whoever he is, he’ll be fine. you, however, are not. come with me.” 

“no, madame. i _can’t_ , i have to go.” 

behind them, it sounded like something shattered. she winced, as did doyoung. “doyoung, you’re not making sense. stay here and i can help you. we can help you.” 

“you have better things to care for, madame.” doyoung stood on shaky legs. students were fighting and causing a mess all over the halls. “tell both of them that i love them. and that i’m sorry.” 

“doyoung, _no_ —“ 

but he was gone. madame bae leapt for him, but he slipped right through her fingers. something else shattered and she turned around to meet a madhouse. she needed to let headmaster patel know what was happening. 

doyoung was gone. 

🐍🦁

he panted as he weaved through the forest. sure enough, thorns and sticks were getting stuck in his soles but he didn’t have the time to bother with it. he had to get away from hogwarts and _fast._

now, he was glad no one knew about his and jaehyun’s relationship. they’d hurt jaehyun the way they hurt him. taeyong has johnny to protect him and now, everyone would be _okay_. 

the night was still dark, the wolves were hungry and the owls hooted. doyoung didn’t know where he was going. tears blurred his vision, but he quickly wiped them away. 

_why couldn’t jaehyun’s father win? maybe wonho was right, my father did rig the election. does it matter now? no, of course not. he doesn’t care for me, in fact, he’ll be happy that i’m gone. i’m out of his way for once and he finally won._

doyoung yelped as he twisted his ankle, falling face first into the ground. “stupid.” he muttered softly. he brought his foot forward and cradled it. he glanced up and hogwarts was still in his eye of sight. no, i have to go until i can’t see it. if i don’t see them, they won’t see me. 

he cried it out in pain as he felt pressure being placed on his foot. however, there was no time for that. he continued to run as fast as he could, away from his pain. away from the hurt. away from the only place he ever felt loved. 

🐍🦁

“doyoung!” jaehyun pushed through the crowds of students, not caring if they fell. only one person was on his mind. “doyoung!” he searched the crowd for him and came up blank. _where is he?_

to the side, he saw taeyong with johnny in tow, but no doyoung. he shoved a couple of more students away, finally catching up to the duo. 

“have you seen doyoung?” jaehyun asked off the bat. he furrowed his brows in concern when taeyong’s face was blotchy with tears while johnny dawned a sad look. his heart beat sped up. “taeyong, where is he?” 

“he… he—“ taeyong let out a dry sob and buried his face in johnny’s chest. 

johnny shook his head. “he’s gone.” 

jaehyun stepped back as if someone pushed him. “gone? no, _no_ , he can’t be gone.” 

“jaehyun, i’m sorry.” johnny tried to reason, but jaehyun was still in disbelief. “madame bae said he ran off. he said that he was sorry and that he loved you.” 

“you’re lying.” jaehyun knew he wasn’t, he was just in a state of shock by the statement he was heading. doyoung was gone. “you’re lying.” his voice cracked and johnny realized he had two people to console now. 

jaehyun felt himself pulled into johnny’s chest along with taeyong. he attempted to get free, but johnny was stronger. his head wasn’t clear anyway, his body instead wracking with sobs similar to taeyong’s. 

_doyoung, come home_. jaehyun sent his thoughts doyoung’s way 

🐍🦁

_doyoung, come home._

doyoung sat up in a state of bewilderment. it was jaehyun. or at least he thought it was. his voice, he could have sworn it was right next to him. 

he looked around only to find himself still surrounded alone and in darkness. at least the castle wasn’t in his sight anymore. just a little further and he was hoping he’d be untraceable. 

he winced as he stood up, his ankle screaming at him to sit for a few more hours, but he had no choice. the sun would be rising in a couple hours and doyoung planned to be long gone when it happens. 

he bit his lip each step of the way, mentally scolding himself for not even bringing his damn wand. “i’m a fool.” doyoung spoke quietly to himself, still trudging his way through the heaps of leaves and trees. 

doyoung felt some sort of relief when he spotted a lake nearby. he was parched after all his tears and panting. the water was ice cold and doyoung hissed at the feeling. the winter weather wasn’t helping him much anyway, only fleeing the castle with his pajamas. 

he cupped his hands gathered water into them in attempt to form a cup. gladly, it worked and he drank until he felt satisfied. taking the time to lay back, he examined his ankle. he twisted his mouth at the sight, the whole thing was swollen, tinted with shades or purple and blue. 

he dipped his foot into the water, hoping the coldness would ease some of the pain. luckily, it did work, but he still could feel the throb of it all. 

doyoung tried not to cry, but alas, tears still fell down his face. he sniffled and thought of taeyong and jaehyun. _do they miss me? maybe they do. i hope they know that i’m sorry, but i had to do what was best for everyone._ he dwindled with his fingers, picking at the cuticles, not caring as his fingers started to bleed. _maybe i’ll live in the muggle world. a small cottage and some animals as friends. i could never harm them. there, i’ll make sure i’ll never hurt anyone again._

doyoung yelped when he felt something slimy graze against his skin. the lake couldn’t be that deep, right? he went to pull out his foot and yelled out in pain when it wrapped around his ankle. 

he panicked, grabbing onto stray pieces of logs and grass to keep him on land, but his body was getting pulled down, down into the deep, dark lake. 

“i’m sorry.” he cried to no one and felt himself submerge into the water. 

he didn’t give up right away, no. he fought, of course. kicking his legs and arms, the surface was so close yet so far away. his eyes began to close and he felt the fight leave his body. this was the end. 

_you’re not ready, yet, dongyoung. people love you. taeyong loves you. jaehyun loves you. most importantly, i love you. i’m sorry i left when you were young. no touch of a mother can do bad things to a child, but i was too weak to hold on. but, you, you’re strong my boy. just wait a little longer and you’ll be free. remember that i always love you and that i am sorry. be brave, my boy._

doyoung’s eyes shot open. with one last kick, the creature let him loose and he scrambled to the surface. he let out a deep breath of air and crawled back up to the bank of the lake, laying on his and gazing up at the sky. he was shivering and was sure if the creature didn’t take him, the coldness sure would. 

_the sky is beautiful. has it always been this beautiful?_ doyoung’s chest heaved up and down, no fight left in him anymore. his eyes were beginning to shut and this time, he didn’t bother fighting it. 

“you did well. now, sleep. help will be here soon.” a warm palm touched his forehead and all turned black. 

🐍🦁

“we have to go, now!” jaehyun shouted, his voice booming in the small room. “he’s all alone with no one, we don’t know what he’s thinking or where he is.”

“jaehyun, i understand your frustration, but it’s too dangerous.” headmaster patel tried for reason. 

“isn’t that concerning? your student is out there alone.” jaehyun tried to not let his emotions cloud his rebuttal. “just send me, i can find him.” 

“absolutely not.” madame bae spoke up. “no student shall be going out there alone. headmaster, if i may, i think it’s best that jaehyun, accompanied by me as well as sir kim, go help with the search of mr. doyoung.” 

headmaster patel thought it over. “very well. you have to be back before sunrise, understood?” 

“i get to bring taeyong and johnny, too.” jaehyun gulped. he was pushing it, but he knew they’d curse him for not letting them tag along. 

“so be it. and remember, _before_ sunrise.”

🐍🦁

“how long has he been gone?” johnny asked. 

“a few hours.” madame bae said. “he couldn’t have gone far.” she pulled her coat tighter around herself, the action making jaehyun shiver at the thought of doyoung cold and alone. 

“you don’t know doyoung. when he’s upset, he makes sure _no one_ can find him.” taeyong spoke up. “luckily, he ran out of hiding places in the castle, but here? let’s not think about that.” 

jaehyun gulped, taking taeyong’s advice and not thinking about it. he made sure to bring blankets and coats for doyoung when the found him, as well as water and food. 

“look,” professor kim found a piece of a teared t-shirt. “does this look like his?” 

“oh, yes,” madame bae said as she examined it upon closer inspection. “it’s the same material he was wearing when i saw him.” 

“great, we’re on track. we’ll find him soon, don’t worry.” his words were mainly directed towards jaehyun, but he pretended not to notice. 

however, _soon_ , seemed to be taking longer than he thought. 

“we need to head back. the sun is going to rise.” madame bae said softly. she had a soft spot for doyoung and was reluctant to go back too, but the headmaster was clear on his orders. 

“no, no,” jaehyun shouted. “it isn’t daylight yet, we still have time. like you said, he couldn’t have gone far. we’re going to find him. if you don’t wanna help, that’s fine. i am going to find him.” jaehyun stalked off, the other four having no choice but to follow. 

taeyong’s eyes were red at the thought of his best friend all alone and possibly _dead_. he didn’t want to think of it, but he didn’t know where doyoung could be. 

they walked a few more paces ahead, professor kim about to tell jaehyun it was time. until—

“look!” johnny pointed. up ahead, there was a lake and a lean figure laying on its back. 

“ _doyoung_.” jaehyun shot forward, the others following suit. he was mindful of his steps as the sun was beginning to rise now, but all he could think of was “doyoung.” 

his body was cold as ice, and he looked still as a corpse. “ _no._ ” he cried out, but let out a small sigh when he felt a small and weak pulse, but still, a pulse. 

taeyong was soon by his side, his palms on doyoung’s cheeks attempting to give him some warmth. 

“hand me a blanket.” jaehyun didn’t look up from doyoung’s pale and still face. he gently picked him up from the back of his head and bundled him in the blanket. 

“he’s alive. _barely_ , but he’s alive.” taeyong sniffled, grabbing his wand and attempting to warm doyoung up. 

“he got a far way.” professor kim gazed out into the woods. “blessedly, nothing hurt him.” 

“something did.” johnny pointed to his ankle, which was still swollen, but now riddled with teeth marks of some kind. professor kim went closer to examine the damage.

“a shame it happened, but it’s nothing too serious by the looks of it. doyoung put up quite a fight.” he grabbed out a first aid kid and gently took doyoung’s ankle into his hands. he wrapped it, for now. 

once jaehyun deemed him warm enough, he gently carried doyoung in his arms. 

“do you need help?” johnny asked. 

“i’ll let you know. for now, i want him close.” 

the others understood, taeyong too. he decided to loop his arm through jaehyun’s own. doyoung may be with jaehyun, but it was taeyong who was there for him first. 

the walk back to the castle was silent for the most part, they occasionally stopped to check doyoung’s breathing and kept moving. jaehyun watched in fear as doyoung’s face was still pale. 

“he’ll be okay.” taeyong whispered. his arm didn't unhook from jaehyun’s the whole walk back. “if doyoung is anything, he’s a fighter.” 

jaehyun shot him a small smile as a thank you, storing the information in the back of his brain for later. as of now, they had to move and fast. it was almost daybreak and all jaehyun wanted was to hold doyoung close and remind him of how loved he is. he won’t allow doyoung to feel this way ever again. 

🐍🦁

doyoung blinked away the bleariness from his eyes. he moaned out softly when he felt a slight jab in his left foot. 

_right. i fell. where am i?_

“oh, doyoung, my dear boy.” madame lipa’s voice came closer, her hand on his forehead checking his temperature. “how are you feeling?” 

“like shit.” doyoung croaked out.

“ _language_ , young one.” she scolded and handed doyoung a glass of water. he hurriedly gulped it all down in one go, some of it dripping down his chin. 

“what’s wrong with my foot?” 

“you broke it.” madame lipa said simply. her words caused doyoung to remember everything that happened over the course of the last couple of hours. 

“ _oh_.” doyoung gulped. “is everyone okay?” 

“i think the question is are you okay?” she sighed and grabbed the empty glass from doyoung’s hand. “unfortunately, you’ll have to drink some skele-gro.” 

“ _pleh_.” doyoung stuck out his tongue. he’s never tried it before, but taeyong did once and insisted it was dreadful. he groaned when madame kaya handed him the grey, gooey liquid. trying not to gag, he gulped down the drink and handed the glass back to her. “that’s disgusting.”

“i’ve heard.” she replied. “stay in bed, no moving unless allowed to. i’ll also let your friends know of your awakening, yes?”

did doyoung want to face them after what he did? what if they were mad at him? in all honesty, he _did_ want to see them, but he was afraid. 

“o-okay.” doyoung agreed. if anything, he’d pretend to be asleep when they arrived. _i’m a coward._

he turned over in bed, facing the other cots, all of which were empty which doyoung was glad about. _how could i have been so stupid? i ran away from the people who care for me the most._

he heard footsteps and grimaced. it was sooner or later he’d be faced with the inevitable. turning over, he sat up but kept his eyes trained on his fingers, playing with the bedsheet. 

“i knew you weren’t smart, but i never thought you’d go as far as losing your life.” 

doyoung’s heart raced, his head shooting up to be met with his father’s eyes. 

“f-father.” he gulped and moved the covers from his legs, feet planting on the floor. no matter what position doyoung was in, his father demanded he be graced with honor. with screaming bones, he stood in front of his father and bowed as low as possible. “what a surprise.” 

“what a surprise, indeed. hearing the news of my son disappearing into the woods for petty reasons.” dakho was dressed warmly, his boots still inkled with droplets of wet snow. 

doyoung bit his lip, averting his eyes the floor below him. his feet were cold on the bare tile, but he didn’t show it. “i—i’m sorry.” doyoung stuttered. “i wasn’t thinking.” 

“of course you weren’t. you didn’t do much of that since your mother died.” doyoung didn’t reply, his eyes still on the floor. “look at me when i speak to you.” 

slowly, he met his father’s gaze and regretted it. he yelped when his face was roughly grabbed by dakho, attempting to pry off his rough fingers. 

“f-father, _please_ , it hurts.” most of his words came out muffled, due to how hard he was being held in place. 

“don’t let there be a next time, doyoung. the consequences will be far worse.” 

he let go harshly as doyoung fell to the floor. he rubbed his cheeks, his eyes on his father's boot once more. “yes, father.” 

“am i interrupting something?” 

dakho whirled around and was met with—

“son of jung.” dakho practically spit out the name. “any reason you’re meeting with my kin?”

doyoung was _embarrassed_ , refusing to look up. his ankle was burning, but he didn’t have the energy or effort to get back on the bed. he could just lay on the floor for a while. 

“i have a message from the headmaster.” 

dakho raised a brow, as if indicating for jaehyun to continue. 

“a message that needs to be relayed to doyoung _only._ ” 

“very well.” dakho cleared his throat. “don’t make me come back here due to your thoughtless actions once more. understood?” 

doyoung settled for nodding, but that didn’t slide with his father. 

“i said, _understood_?” 

“y-yes, father.” doyoung mumbled. dakho still wasn’t pleased, but took it all the same, which doyoung was grateful for. 

jaehyun was pushed back slightly as dakho brushed past him. jaehyun eyed his figure until he was gone from the infirmary completely. 

jaehyun let out a sigh and moved to doyoung. he looked helpless, head still down. his ankle was still bruised and looked even worse from the pressure that was put on it. 

“doyoung?” jaehyun was quiet as he sat down next to him. doyoung turned his face, not wanting to be seen. “can i hold you?” 

doyoung froze, as if pondering the request. slowly, he nodded and felt jaehyun’s arms around him. jaehyun didn’t break a sweat as he picked him up and settled him back into the covers. 

“what happened?” 

doyoung let out a breath, not wanting to speak. 

“if you don’t wanna talk, that’s fine. we can lay here together.” jaehyun suggested. 

“i..” doyoung croaked out. “i’d like that.” 

jaehyun let a small smile run over his lips. a start. “well, i’m going to need you to scooch over for me, love.” 

doyoung blushed at the nickname and did as jaehyun asked. he was still turned, not wanting to face jaehyun. the bed sank next to him, and without realizing, he moved closer, desperate for some of jaehyun’s warmth. 

they were quiet, and after a while doyoung could take it anymore. he turned and rested his head on jaehyun’s chest. “i’m sorry.” 

“for what?” jaehyun stroked doyoung’s hair. “you have nothing to be sorry for. if anything, i should he apologizing. i was late. i always am.” 

“that isn’t true.” doyoung sat up, eyes tracing jaehyun’s face. “you’re here for me.” 

“but not fast enough.” it was jaehyun’s turn to sit up, his broad body towering over doyoung’s even in the small bed. he grabbed doyoung’s face gently, cursing dakho for the way he flinched. “what did he do?” he rubbed his fingers over the slightly blooming bruises. 

“the usual.” doyoung’s reply was quiet. “yell at me. roughen me up around the edges.” 

jaehyun hummed, his fingers still on doyoung’s cheeks. “next time he lays a hand on you, i’ll kill him.” 

“ _jaehyun._ ” doyoung was more than scandalized. jaehyun never spoke that way. “d-don’t say that.” 

“why not? he hurt you, the thing i care for most.” jaehyun pressed a kiss to doyoung’s face. “i won’t lose you. you scared me, doyoung. all of us. i know what you’re thinking and i need you to know, none of those harmful things are true. taeyong loves you. johnny loves you. i love you.” 

doyoung gulped, blinking away unshed. he knew jaehyun wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t say it back, but he did love jaehyun. he was just— 

“scared. i’m scared.” doyoung admitted, fingers wrapping into jaehyun’s cotton shirt. 

“i know. and it’s okay to be scared.” jaehyun rubbed his shoulder. “i love you with all your flaws and nothing is going to change that.” 

“not even my wretched father?” doyoung scoffed. 

“no. definitely not him.” 

doyoung hummed in response, too tired to answer. 

“sleep.” jaehyun caressed his face. 

“will you be here when i wake up?” doyoung knew the answer already. he was already off to sleep before he could hear the answer. 

🐍🦁

taeyong clung to doyoung for a week. 

“you know you don’t have to hold me so close. i won’t _break_.” doyoung shifted in his seat. 

“i don’t care.” taeyong squeezed doyoung’s arm to emphasize his point. “you’re never leaving my side again.” 

“it’d be nice if i could have my boyfriend to my own for lunch at least.” jaehyun sat across from them. they were seated at the gryffindor table, have been since doyoung ran. 

“i second that. not doyoung, of course, but you yongie.” johnny spoke up. 

taeyong rolled his eyes. “you see me all the time. why can’t i have doyoung to my own for once?” 

“for once?” jaehyun scoffed. “you always cling to him, even at breakfast!” jaehyun pointed to taeyong. 

“doyoung doesn't mind, right doyoung?” suddenly all eyes were on him, making him nervous. 

“um.. erm… i.. i don’t know? i like both of you.” doyoung didn’t want to hurt either of their feelings, the two had been overly protective of him since. 

“okay, but who do you like more?” taeyong asked. 

“that isn’t fair!” jaehyun threw his balled up piece of napkin at taeyong who backhanded it just in time. “you’ve known him longer, that doesn’t count.” 

“time doesn’t equate to liking, you know?” johnny perked up. “you can know someone for years and never like them. you know, i have this cousin, right? brat, always snotty, never takes no for an answer—“ johnny stopped speaking when he saw the glare taeyong was sending his way.  
“um,” johnny coughed. “anyways, moral of the story. i like that cousin now.” 

“right.” jaehyun grinned, satisfied that he got more chance to defend his point. 

“i don’t like choosing between you two.” doyoung confessed. “i love both of you, but in different ways. how about a deal? taeyong can cling to me during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. jaehyun can walk me to my classes—“

“that’s so short!” 

“i didn’t finish. and _all_ other occasions.” 

jaehyun blushed. “deal.” he blurted. 

“fine. deal.” taeyong grumbled, snuggling his face into doyoung’s shoulder. from beside jaehyun, johnny fist pumped into the air, grateful to have his boyfriend back with him in between classes. 

from across the table jaehyun shot doyoung a wink, and now it was the slytherin’s turn to blush. 

🐍🦁

“do you love me?” 

“what?” doyoung stopped his movements, lifting his pen to keep from bleeding in the same area. “why would you ask me something that stupid?” 

“it’s not stupid when you’ve never said you’ve loved me back.” 

jaehyun was perched atop a desk in the astronomy tower, the moonlight caressing his features perfectly. 

“i haven't?” doyoung thought it over. he _implied_ he loved jaehyun, but never outright said it. 

it was prefect duties, the only reason the two were out this late. they weren’t supposed to be here, but doyoung found haven in the stars. 

“you haven’t.” jaehyun confirmed. 

“well,” doyoung avoided his eyes, fingers going back to his sketch. “you know that i do.” 

“doyoung.” jaehyun hopped down from the desk, kneeling in front of doyoung. “look at me.”  
doyoung bit his lip before capping his pen and slowly turning to face jaehyun. “what are you afraid of?”

“i-i’m not afraid—“ 

“you are.” 

doyoung stood and sat on the couch, waiting patiently for jaehyun to join him. when he did, he started. 

“you know the night i ran?” 

jaehyun’s breath hitched. it’d been a little over a month and doyoung didn’t speak of it, not even to taeyong. 

“how could i forget?” 

“my mother was there.” 

“l-like… like, physically?” 

“no, not really. she told me to not give up. that taeyong loved me and that you loved me and that she loved me.” doyoung brought his knees to his chest. “i’m afraid to love. i loved her and i lost her. i haven’t lost taeyong, yet, but i will soon. and…” doyoung’s breath hitched. “and _you_. i don’t want to lose you. everyone i love becomes lost.” 

he sat up now. 

“because i do love you, more than you can fathom. i love you, jaehyun. i just don’t want to lose you too.” 

🐍🦁

“we’ve bascially graduted now.” 

“i know.” doyoung replied. he was finishing his sketch of jaehyun, his hands covered in the grey residue of the pencil. 

“have you thought about the future?” 

“i have. i don’t see it with anyone but you.” 

jaehyun leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his temple. “i want you to meet my parents.” 

those words made doyoung freeze, his eyes widening slightly. 

“i..i, uh…” doyoung stumbled over his words. “like the both of them?” 

jaehyun laughed and pulled him closer. “yes, doie. the both of them. why?” jaehyun searched his face for fear. “if you’re not ready, we don’t have to.” 

doyoung knew jaehyun would never force him to do something he didn’t want to do. that was one of the many things he loved about him. 

“it’s not that…” doyoung played with the hem of jaehyun’s robe. “it’s just.. does your dad even like me? would he like me?” 

“just because our fathers are rivals doesn’t mean my dad will hate you. you aren’t your father.” 

_you aren’t your father._

doyoung pondered over those four words. jaehyun was right. he wasn’t his father. he’d never be the horrible man dakho was. it kept him up at night, the thought of turning into his father. corrupt and unloving. 

jaehyun was one of the small things that kept him rooted. 

“so, will we meet over christmas break?” doyoung asked and jaehyun leaped higher than doyoung even thought possible. 

🐍🦁

jaehyun’s estate was _large_ , larger than doyoung’s own. he gulped at the sight of it from the jung family car. 

“you nervous?” 

“kinda.” doyoung lied. he was _petrified._

“you’ll be fine.” jaehyun leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to doyoung’s lips. “and if they don’t like you, who cares? i like you.” 

doyoung let out a nervous laugh. he thanked the driver as he opened his door and watched as his suitcase wandered to his feet. 

“is your home always this lively?” 

“yes, why do you ask?” jaehyun and him trudged up the steps, bags floating beside them. 

“it’s just… i never knew a home could look so _happy._ ” doyoung gazed around in bewilderment, and jaehyun felt his heart clench at the sight. 

“you’ll be happy here.” jaehyun reassured. “cmon, mom can’t wait to meet you.” 

the door opened as if it knew who jaehyun was, and it probably did. doyoung gaped at the grand chandelier and walls riddled with pairings and what seemed to be photographs of jaehyun’s ancestors. 

jaehyun sent their bags on their merry way, grabbing doyoung’s hand instead. “i’ll show you around.” 

they walked all over jaehyun’s house, from the kitchen to the billard room, everything made doyoung gasp. doyoung was rich, but jaehyun was _richer_. 

“are you hungry? mom is probably done with dinner by now.” 

“so soon?” doyoung’s fingers were grazing a baby picture of jaehyun. he smiled at baby jaehyun, dimples prominent as ever. 

“doyoung, we’ve been wandering the house for hours.” 

were they? doyoung stole a glance outside and let out a small gasp when he noticed it was dark out. “oh. i didn’t notice. there’s just so much to look at.” 

“and there’ll be more.” jaehyun reached for his hand a pressed a kiss to the back of it. “now let’s go, i’m sure my mom is complaining by now.” 

🐍🦁

doyoung’s palms were sweaty, guaranteed if jaehyun handed him anything it’d slip right out his hands. 

“don’t fret, she’ll love you.” 

“mhm.” doyoung didn’t open his mouth, settling for a hum instead.

they entered the dining area, and sure enough everything was in its place as if from a movie scene. 

“oh, jaehyunie!” a high pitched voice spoke. a small figure rushed forward and grabbed jaehyun’s face in her hands. 

jaehyun groaned as his mother kissed his cheeks. “mommmm.” he dragged out the syllables, waiting for her to let go. 

“what? i cant miss my favorite son?” 

“i'm your only son.” 

“exactly.” she pulled back and turned to doyoung now. 

“h-hi, hello, um, _miss_.. i mean, _ma’am_ , i’m—i’m d-doyoung.” 

rin jung was a beautiful woman. he gaze made doyoung twitch, his hands reaching for jaehyun’s but thinking better of it. 

“jaehyun, you were right. he’s even prettier than you described.” she smiled. 

doyoung and jaehyun both flushed at her words. 

“aw, don’t be shy now. those letters you wrote, you seemed so proud and—“

“mom!” jaehyun willed her to be quiet. 

“oh, alright.” she rolled her eyes. “come, doyoung.” she laced her arm with his own, bringing him next to her. “hungry?” 

“um.. a little, miss.” 

“please, call me mom.” 

“o-okay.” doyoung smiled and sat down with rin to his right and jaehyun on his left side. “um, are we going to wait for your father?”

“we don’t have to. i’m sure he’s in his study, said he had an important guest over or something like that.” 

“is it because of me?” 

“no.” jaehyun replied swiftly. “never because of that. i love you, so he’ll love you.” jaehyun reassured. “don’t bother with that now, eat.”

jaehyun began to shovel his mother’s cooking onto doyoung’s plate, not taking doyoung’s pleads for _no more, i can’t finish that._

they chattered for a while, doyoung smiling at things jaehyun or rin spoke about, especially embarrassing stories about jaehyun. it was about twenty minutes later when jaehyun’s father finally joined them, but he wasn’t alone. 

“--wizarding world can handle the both of us.” 

“I doubt that’s the case.” the voice made doyoung freeze, his fork practically bending in his grasp. “No foul play was done at the election, and i don’t understand why i’m being evaluated.” 

“It’s either you and i together, or you will have to step as the position as the minister of magic.” 

“doyoung, i’m _sorry_.” jaehyun said to him in a hushed whisper. “i didn’t know the the guest was--” 

“father.” doyoung stumbled out when his eyes met dakho’s. 

dakho paused, his eyes evaluating the scene before him. “what is this?” 

“i’m...i decided to spend the break with jaehyun. since you were busy.” doyoung gulped, his eyes moving from his father’s to his nearly empty plate in front of him. the room was tense, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. 

“and why the jung’s of all people? is there something you need to tell me?” 

“why don’t we all settle down, yes?” jaejoon, jaehyun’s father, finally spoke. his hands were up in a defensive position.

“care to explain to me why my son is at _your_ residence?” dakho raised a brow. “or better yet, why don’t you explain to me, doyoung?” 

doyoung felt like he’d hurl up his dinner at any given moment. he avoided his fathers eyes, placing his fork done. “i already said why. you.. you were busy.” 

“so this is my fault?” 

“no, no, it isn’t. i just didn’t want to spend christmas alone.” 

“what of your friend? taeyong?” 

“he’s spending christmas with johnny. his boyfriend.” doyoung hesitated before looking to his father. “and i wanted to spend christmas with mine.” 

taeyong would be proud of doyoung’s courage. too bad he wasn’t here to see. 

“your _what_?”

doyoung didn’t back down, not now. “my boyfriend. my boyfriend is jaehyun, who i… who i love.” he cleared his throat. “i decided to spend christmas with someone who actually cares about me.” 

“we’re leaving.” dakho turned impossibly red. “ _now_.” 

doyoung stood up. “no, you’re leaving. i’m staying with jaehyun. the school term is over and i know what i want now, and you’re not in my plans, father.” 

dakho ignored his words, rushing forward to grab doyoung by the wrist. “we’re leaving. you’re forbidden from seeing this _jung_ boy.” 

“father, let me _go_!”

doyoung pulled and from here, chaos went off. everyone sprung into motion. jaehyun went to pull doyoung back, jaejoon with dakho. rin was crying out as plates and dishes crashed to the ground. 

if dakho’s energy was a color, it’s be burning red. doyoung’s eyes widened as his father pulled out his wand, his hands going out to stop whatever force was being directed his way. 

“ _crucio!_ ”

doyoung gasped, but no impact came. jaehyun. jaehyun laid withering on the ground. doyoung cried out, blocking out everything but his lover on the floor. 

“jaehyun, _please_ , open your eyes. i can't lose you.” doyoung heaved, his tears staining jaehyun’s shirt. “please, jae, i _love_ you.” 

“doyoung.” jaehyun’s voice was weak, his hands searching for doyoung’s face. “remember that i love you.” 

his hands slid to the ground, eyes falling shut. all doyoung remembered after that was welcoming the arms of morpheus. 

🐍🦁

jaehyun’s eyes rolled beneath his eyelids. he blinked. once. twice. three times. 

the world was blurry at first and then cleared up. he felt a soothing hand in his hair, another one in his own hand. 

“hey, baby.” a quiet voice said to his right. 

“mom?” jaehyun croaked. her eyes were red with unshed tears, a small smile on her face. 

“it’s me. how are you feeling?” 

“like shit.” 

“language, young man.” she lightly scolded, but it wasn’t serious. 

“what happened?”

rin sucked in a deep breath. “dakho.” 

the name caused anger to flood jaehyun’s body, his mind filling with everything that happened. “where is he?” 

“azkaban.” she said softly. “for life.” 

“not him.” 

“in the hospital cafeteria, probably gathering food for you.” 

“we’re in a _muggle_ hospital?” 

“don’t worry, priya works here.”  
priya was a friend of jaehyun’s mother, also an establish doctor in both the muggle and wizarding world, primarily the muggle world for wizards who chose to live like them. she was here for cases like jaehyun’s.  
“doyoung’s been worried sick. wouldn’t leave your side unless someone dragged him away from you.” 

“is he okay now?” 

“he won’t be until he sees you’re okay.” 

jaehyun bit his lip “can i—“ 

“i know.” rin shot him a teasing smile. “you want to see your lover, hm?” 

“mom!” jaehyun dragged, cheeks going red. 

“i’m just kidding with you.” she stood up, pressing a kiss to jaehyun’s forehead. “i’ll go find him. sit tight.” 

“not like i’m going anywhere.” 

“very funny.” she replied, shutting the door gently. 

jaehyun sat up, his bones screaming at the action. he knew doyoung would be filled with guilt at the fact of what he did. he jumped in front of the _crucio_ spell for doyoung. 

doyoung, who he is supposed to hate. doyoung, who is a slytherin. doyoung, who is deemed unloveable. 

the door opened in a frenzy, shutting as quickly as is opened. doyoung had his back turned, arms filled with snacks. 

“i would help you with that if i could, but i’m kinda tied down.” jaehyuns said. 

doyoung froze, taking deep breaths. he turned around slowly, and when he saw jaehyun sitting up, _lucid_ , he dropped the snacks in a heap.

“oh, jaehyun!” doyoung leaped forward, ignoring the bags of chips and packets of candy to cradle jaehyun’s face in his hands. “oh merlin, i was worried sick.” he was full on crying as he examined jaehyun’s gave for injury. “you were out for three days, _three days_ , i didn’t know if you would come back, i thought i was going to lose you, jaehyun—“

“hey, _hey_ ,” jaehyun cooed, reaching doyoung’s wrists. “i’m okay, doyoung. i promise. a little sore, but i can manage.” 

doyoung took a deep breath, scanning jaehyun to see if he was real. “are you sure?” 

“100%. now,” jaehyun scooted over, making room for doyoung. “come. i want to hug my boyfriend.” 

“i don’t think that’s a good idea. what if i hurt you? i’ve hurt you enough, i don't wanna—“ 

“ _doyoung_.” jaehyun stressed. “sit.” 

it didn’t take much after that for doyoung to remove his shoes and plop himself next to jaehyun on the hospital bed. 

“i’m sorry, for what my father did. it should have been me. he was supposed to hurt me, not you. if i hadn’t said anything, we wouldn’t be here.” 

“don’t apologize for him. it’s him, not you. i’m glad you spoke up, doie. you were so brave.” jaehyun pressed a kiss to his temple. “i love you. nothing can change that, nothing will change. you’re not going to lose me, doyoung. i'm here forever, whether you like it or not.” 

doyoung giggled at jaehyun’s tone, and how jaehyun wished he could have the sound on repeat for the rest of his days. 

“i love you, jaehyun. forever.” doyoung leaned forward, pressing a kiss to jaehyun’s lips. he sighed into it, feeling more content than he ever had in a while. 

they’d get through this together, like always. 

🐍🦁

“are you sure this isn’t too much?” doyoung stressed. “i mean, it’s bigger than your parents house, jae, we don’t need all this room.” 

“so you don’t like it?” 

“no, i mean, i love it. i love you and everything, but a whole house? i mean, there’s only the two of us and maybe guest rooms if taeyong and johnny stay over.” 

“i was kinda hoping,” jaehyun moved closer to doyoung, his hands holding his waist. “we could eventually fill it up with more people?” 

“like… butlers?” 

“uh,” jaehyun threw his head back, watching the ceiling “not exactly, baby. but we’ll get there. but forget about that, i wanna show you something.” 

he pulled doyoung throughout their huge house. the walls were already halfway decorated, pictures and their graduation plaques of achievement riddled the wall. 

“what is it?” doyoung let himself be dragged all through the house, trying to memorize everything. 

“you’ll see.” jaehyun smiled. eventually, they stood in front of two giant french doors. 

“a room?” doyoung raised a brow. 

“not just _any_ room. open it.” 

doyoung still had a brow raised, but opened it anyway. the sight before made his jaw drop, tears slowly filling his eyes. 

“ _jae,_ ” doyoung covered his mouth with his hands, doing a 360° to make sure what he was seeing was real. “an art studio?” it was filled with everything doyoung needed. pencils, paint, canvases, brushed, markers. not to mention, the view was remarkable. “all of this for me?”

“i only want the best for you.” jaehyun bit his lip. “do you like it?” 

“ _like_ it? jaehyun, i love it!” he rushed toward jaehyun, peppering his face with kisses. jaehyun smiled, twirling him in the air. their match turned heated, jaehyun puking back to speak. 

“how about we make some art right now, hm?” 

“merlin, you’re so corny.” doyoung pulled back. “take off your clothes.” 

“yes, sir.” 

it was safe to say they made a _hell_ of a lot of art that night. 

after their actives were over, doyoung traced over jaehyun’s chest. 

“sometimes i feel like this isn’t real, that i’m in a wonderful dream and i’ll wake up to a cold reality.” 

“what makes you say that?” jaehyun grabbed doyoung’s fingers, pressing kisses to them. 

“i feel like i don’t deserve this. _you_.”

“if there’s someone undeserving, it’s me. you deserve everything good the world has to offer. i love you, doyoung. and you’ll have me. forever.” 

doyoung knew he’d have jaehyun until the end of time, and jaehyun knew he’d have the same of doyoung. an unlikely love, eventually finding its way into both of their hearts. there would be no other path they would’ve chose if not seeing each other in it. 

doyoung didn’t reply to jaehyun, instead diving for his lips which was returned. jaehyun was right. he did deserve this. and he’d relish the feeling _forever._


End file.
